Southsea Castle

• 1544: John Chatterton became the first captain of Southsea Castle. While serving, he led a team of eight men, 12 gunners, and a porter.
• 1552: Edward VI visited Southsea Castle to inspect its defences.
• 1642: Captain Challoner held Southsea Castle during the English Civil War with a garrison of 11 soldiers. He would later surrender to Colonel Richard Norton.
• 1690: Celia Fiennes, an English writer, journeyed to the castle. She noted that it was a fine structure, but its defences weren’t impressive.
• Late 1700s: The castle had a small garrison of a sergeant and four soldiers.
• 1840s: A Royal Artillery sergeant occupied the site where military prisoners were held.
• 1854: The Lighthouse keeper reportedly lived in the castle.
• WWII: The Hampshire Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery occupied the castle.

https://www.ecastles.co.uk/southsea.html

https://southseacastle.co.uk/collections-stories/stories/southsea-castle-a-cunning-plan/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southsea_Castle 

General Layout

Southsea Castle is a defensive fortification built along the English coast by the order of King Henry VIII. This gun battery was erected as part of his “device” to protect the coast with defensive works. Its location was strategic, as it allowed soldiers to fire on sea vessels moving toward Portsmouth Harbour or the docks.

Over the centuries, Southsea Castle has seen a number of changes to its layout.

Original Layout

During Southsea Castle’s heyday, it boasted some of the best military defences in the country. It boasted rotating gun platforms, a culverin, a demi-culverin, a cannon, a demi-cannon, and eight large guns.

Walls and Towers

Defensive fortifications erected prior to the construction of Southsea Castle usually included tall, thick stone walls and circular towers. This was so the walls could be lined with archers and soldiers could drop missiles atop enemy heads. However, the invention of gunpowder made it easy to take a wall down using a cannon.

As such, Southsea Castle utilised a different design to keep up with the invention of gunpowder and high-powered artillery. Shorter walls made for a smaller target. An earthen bank was built around the site to provide protection to the short walls. Angled bastions removed blind spots from the soldiers’ vision, preventing enemies from seeking a hiding place during an assault. The angled bastions could also be mounted with cannons.

Eventually, the northern wall of Southsea Castle was expanded to create a barracks and the southern wall was rounded, removing the pointed end. However, the original shape of the angled bastion can still be seen today.

Keep and Castle Gate

The keep is square in shape and set inside of a square-shaped enclosure.

The defences of Southsea Castle were enhanced in the 1680s when King Charles II feared a Dutch invasion. As a result of the threat, he erected a new castle gate, complete with a drawbridge. Over the gatehouse entrance was a plaque with his coat of arms. Additionally, he added four turrets and redesigned the castle keep.

In 1814, the keep was altered yet again. It was enlarged and the roof was adjusted to make room for four additional gun platforms. Around this time, the east and west ramparts were constructed to provide space for several more heavy guns.

Tunnel, Moat, and Lighthouse

Southsea Castle is surrounded by a deep, dry moat and earthen banks.

In the 1800s, a tunnel was dug around the castle running along the outside of the castle moat. There were openings within the brick-lined tunnel that allowed soldiers to attack enemies who accessed the moat. Another part of the tunnel runs beneath the moat to access the castle’s interior.

In the 1820s, a lighthouse was constructed on the site.

East and West Gun Batteries

As military and weapons technology changed, so did the layout of Southsea Castle. Guns became much larger, making it nearly impossible to keep them within the castle’s interior.

During the 1860s, gun batteries were added to the eastern and western sides of the fort. A large wall was also erected behind the castle. Today, visitors can still see the remnants of the batteries as mounds behind the field and parts of the wall behind the road.

Modern Layout

As time went on, the stone fortification and weapons of Southsea Castle had become outdated. The army no longer had any use for the site. As such, it was sold to Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth City Council renovated the site, removing most of the modern features (including searchlights and walkways). This brought Southsea Castle closer to its 1814 look.