Calshot Castle

-1539-1540 (Castle Constructed)

In 1539, King Henry VIII commissioned the construction of Calshot Castle, which was completed by 1540.  

When Henry VIII broke ties with the Catholic Church in 1534, Pope Paul III ordered Francis I of France and Charles V of Spain to attack and depose Henry. Frightened by the threat of attack, Henry VIII built many defensive towers, called "device forts" on the southern coastline of England. 

Using the stone from the recently dissolved Beaulieu Abbey, Henry VIII oversaw Calshot Castle's construction. Originally, Calshot was three stories high and included a keep, a curtain wall, and a gatehouse. 

Inside, the tower housed a garrison of 15 men, namely, eight shooters, a lieutenant, a captain, and five soldiers. In addition, it housed as many as 36 artillery guns. 

-1580-1584 (Fire Damage & Repair)

Sometime during the early 1580s, during the reign of Elizabeth I, Calshot Castle caught on fire, causing significant damage to the structure. 

Promptly, the Castle's governor made repairs, and it took more than 127 trees from the New Forest to repair the tower. Still, the repairs were made in a hurry since England was under threat of Spanish invasion. 

-1642 (Occupied by Parliment)

During the English Civil Wars, the device forts, including Calshot castle, were occupied by parliamentary forces. Still, Calshot suffered no damage during the Civil Wars. 

-1648

During the close of the second English Civil War, Charles I was being held prisoner in Hurst Castle, next to Calshot Castle. In a plan to flee to France, Charles was supposed to take a ship from Calshot to the continent. However, the plan failed when the Parliamentary forces commandeered the vessel that the king wanted to take, and Charles was forced to stay in Hampshire. 

-1774 (Improvements Made)

After a long period of peace on the Hampshire coastline, the Castle's governor made improvements to the tower at the start of the American Revolution in 1774. During this time, the curtain walls were lowered to install more guns into the building, and a large parapet was added to the tower's top. 

-1856 (Castle Owned and Used By Royal Navy)

The need for coastal forts had significantly decreased in England as other, more technologically advanced modes of warfare rose in popularity. So, Calshot Castle mainly was used for combating smuggling in the Solent, and the Royal Navy owned it in the 19th century. 

-1896 (New Platform Built)

Generators and powerful electric searchlights were installed to help the garrison locate smugglers on the coastline. To keep up with advancing naval technology, Calshot also housed new, fast motorboats. In addition, the Royal Navy built a new platform onto the tower to house six quick-fire machine guns. 

-1907 (More Improvements Made)

Calshot saw several more improvements. A concrete slab was added to the keep, making room for two more 12-pound machine guns. 

-1913

Calshot became a Naval Air Station that housed seaplanes used in WWI. To inaugurate the base, Winston Churchill took his first-ever seaplane flight from Calshot Castle. 

-1929-1931 (Schneider Trophy Host Site)

Calshot Castle was the hosting site of the Schneider Trophy seaplane and flying boat races. Interestingly enough, one of the hosts that helped plan the race at Calshot was TE Lawrence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia. 

-1939-1950 (Castle Remodelled) 

During WWI, Calshot was fitted with new armaments, and it served as an anti-aircraft and anti-submarine base. Although the tower was remodelled with new searchlights and guns, it never played a significant role in the war. By the 1950s, it fell out of use, although the Royal navy constantly kept a garrison there until the 1960s. 

-1961

Calshot Castle was retired as a military fort, and it became an English Heritage site.