Hurst Castle

• 1541: King Henry VIII ordered the construction of the castle as part of a line of forts along the coast.

• 1542: Thomas Bertie, the mason who built Hurst Castle, was appointed governor.

• 1642: Captain Richard Swanley occupied Hurst Castle. Swanley was a supporter of Parliament during the English Civil War.

• 1648: Charles I was imprisoned within the walls of Hurst Castle. He was moved from Hurst Castle and taken to his place of execution.
• 1643: John Button served as castle governor.

• 1659: Thomas Eyre served as Hurst Castle’s castellan.

• 1661: Edward Strange became castle governor after Eyre was removed from his post.
• 1675: Sir John Holmes purchased his position as castle governor and served until 1683.

• 1683: Henry Holmes remained on his post as castle governor until 1695.

• 1695: John Burrard was appointed as Hurst Castle’s governor until 1698.
• 1700: Father Paul Atkinson was imprisoned at Hurst Castle. He would die at the castle after 29 years in captivity.
• 1702: A younger Henry Holmes served as the governor until 1714.
• 1716: Sir Tristram Dillington, 5th Baronet, served at Hurst Castle as the castellan for five years. Major John Huske served as Hurst Castle’s Lieutenant-Governor in 1721.
• 1745: Hon Sir Henry Bellenden became castellan.
• 1761: George Anderson succeeded Bellenden and became governor of Hurst Castle.
• 1767: Lieutenant General Sir Robert Sloper was Hurst Castle’s governor for 28 years.
• 1796: Major General William Gardiner served as castellan for five years.
• 1801: Lieutenant Colonel Hon John Creighton served as governor.
• 1858: Thomas Clarke, the man believed responsible for the Easter Rising in Dublin, was born at the castle.

Plan of Hurst Castle in 1750: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/siteassets/home/visit/places-to-visit/hurst-castle/history/aerial-plan-1750.jpg 

General Layout

All of Henry VIII’s coastal forts shared similar strategic designs. Hurst Castle, like the others along the coast, boast a low profile and thick, imposing stone walls. The low profile served a purpose, reducing the area which enemies could attack, while allowing for easy defensive firing from all sides. In addition to its numerous man-made defences, the Tudor artillery fort sat on the narrow Hurst Spit, providing extra protection from land invaders.

Original Layout

After its initial construction was completed around 1544, Hurst Castle included a shallow moat crossed by a drawbridge and outer walls with three bastions. The drawbridge led to a stone gatehouse, complete with a portcullis.

Gun Tower/Keep

Upon accessing the interior of the castle grounds, visitors would see the two-storey gun tower at the centre of the site. The parapets included rounded heads to deflect enemy fire and its embrasures featured maximum splaying for wider fields of fire.

The ground level acted as living quarters for the garrison. Part of the first level also served as living quarters, but was also used to hold weapons (along with the top of the tower). Both floors had wood and plaster dividing walls. The basement was used as a storage space for provisions, guns, and ammunition.

Courtyard and Bastions

Surrounding the gun tower is a large courtyard. The courtyard was defended by a massive wall and three bastions with additional gun embrasures. Originally, the site boasted 71 gun positions on numerous levels. The bastions were also used as living accommodations.

Wing Batteries

The Tudor castle is flanked on each side by wing batteries. These batteries weren’t constructed until the mid-19th century, but act as a defining feature of the structure. They were necessary due to the advances in gun technology. These guns were much bigger than the guns of earlier years and required additional accommodation.

Lighthouses

During the late 17th and early 19th-centuries, two lighthouses were built into the rear west wing of Hurst Castle. The first lighthouse was erected on the spit in 1786, and the second was constructed in 1812. Sadly, the original lighthouses no longer stand.

Additional lighthouses were built in the 1860s and another in 1911 in the same area as the originals.

Modern Layout

Interestingly, Hurst Castle appears much as it did during its heyday, despite undergoing numerous alterations and expansions over several centuries.

Few of the noticeable differences include the brick vaults and circular staircase, as these are remarkably different from the original Tudor-era stonework. Additionally, red brickwork is seen throughout much of the repairs and upgrades completed during the mid-1800s.

Today, visitors can see the original 16th-century entrance, gun tower, courtyard, bastions, winged batteries, and lighthouses, as well as gun mounts from the late-1800s and the World War II Director Tower.