Our iconic landmark to be renamed ‘Ayrton Tower’
PUBLISHED 22-04-2025
The votes are in! Our iconic tower is to be officially renamed ‘Ayrton Tower’, after the brilliant woman who tamed lightning Hertha Ayrton.
Votes flooded in after everyone was urged to choose the greatest person ever to come from Portsmouth.
Competition was tough. The shortlist included author Charles Dickens, engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, classical musician Freda Swain and footballer Mason Mount.
But it was the highly influential electrical engineer, mathematician, physicist, inventor and suffragette Hertha Ayrton who really captured everyone’s imagination.
She stormed ahead, beating Charles Dickens into second place.
“Hertha Ayrton was a fantastic embodiment of our core beliefs at City of Portsmouth College, where we help everyone to find their brilliance,” said Principal and CEO Katy Quinn.
“We’re absolutely delighted that her name will forever be associated with our tower, standing so tall and proud on the Portsmouth skyline.
“It’s particularly fitting as we continue to make significant investments in the tower to create state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces for future generations.”
Born in Portsea, one of eight children, on 28 April 1854, Phoebe Sarah Marks, or Hertha Ayrton as we know her today, was a pioneering woman, fiercely determined not to let the gender discriminations of the Victorian era stand in her way.
She proudly put her name to ground-breaking electrical engineering research and improvements to the common streetlamp, which we now heavily rely on in our daily lives, earning herself the label ‘the woman who tamed lightning’.
Alongside these achievements, she repeatedly proved herself with her brilliant mind and dedication, securing 26 mathematical and electrical engineering patents in her lifetime.
She also helped to pave the way for women to stand tall in a male dominated world as a dedicated suffragette, alongside key historical figures such as Marie Curie and Emmeline Pankhurst.
Built as part of a major extension in 1970, the distinctive 10-storey tower at our Highbury Campus has benefited from a major £4.84m investment in building and refurbishment works since January 2022.
A further £2m is being spent over the next 12 months. The transformation includes:
- The refurbishment of corridors and classrooms for T Levels students
- A simulated hospital ward for Health and Social Care students
- A simulated nursery for Childcare students
- Specialist business and board room spaces for Finance and Business students
- Upgrades to the building’s mechanical, electrical and IT infrastructure
- New classroom furniture and specialist equipment.
The tower is also home to the hugely popular Honeypot Nursery.
