Southsea is a vibrant suburb in Portsmouth, best known for its glowing cultural scene and commercial areas. However, despite us knowing 2012's Southsea for its many restaurants, pubs and boutique cafés, we're actually very lucky to have the area.

During World War II, Southsea suffered absolute devastation due to relentless bombing to the area, partly due to its proximity to the coast. Palmerston Road was hit particularly bad during the attacks, getting almost totally destroyed in the blitz.

Who, then, would have thought that Southsea would become the thriving cultural hub that it is today? With a huge Common to frolic on during the Summer, Albert Road's music venues and vast array of cafés/restaurants, the pedestrianisation of Palmerston Road bringing a new-found café culture to the area... Southsea truly is the place to be.

The Common, in particular, is an iconic Southsea area due to its hosting of a range of annual events, including the Moscow & Chinese State Circus, Military Vehicle Show, the Para Spectacular and more. It's even suitable for one off events like the FA Cup, where Portsmouth FC fans celebrated their triumphant victory in the tournament in 2008.

Furthermore, there's a vast amount of residential and commercial housing to be snapped up, from retail spaces to flats to rent. Southsea is a fantastic place to live due to the proximity of all the aforementioned venues, roads and areas to each other.

Of course, it would remiss of us not to discuss the gorgeous pebble beach that lines the coast of Portsea Island. On a sunny day, it should come as no shock to see the vast majority of Southsea's inhabitants flock to the Common and the beach in search of a tan or just an enjoyable afternoon with their friends.