The name Portishead (a town recorded in the Domesday Book and affectionately known as Posset) derives from the ‘port at the head of the river’. The town’s centuries-old history is chronicled in a series of booklets – the Posset Pieces. Shakespeare mentions Posset in several of his plays. Originally a dessert enriched by alcohol, it was used as a medicinal remedy, served in a two-handled cup.

An original 1914 guidebook to the Bristol Channel from P&A Campbell and the White Funnel Fleet

Text about William Shakespeare and the meaning of ‘posset’

The text reads: English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. ‘Posset’ is mentioned in many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, the Merry Wives of Windsor, and Macbeth.

A quote from Macbeth

External photograph of the building – main entrance