Southsea Castle
Southsea Castle | |
---|---|
Portsea Island, Hampshire, England | |
Coordinates | 50°46′41″N 1°05′20″W / 50.77805°N 1.08888°W |
Type | Device Fort |
Site information | |
Owner | Portsmouth City Council |
Open to the public | Yes |
Condition | Intact |
Site history | |
Built | 1544 |
Materials | Stone |
Events |
|
Reference no. | 1001869 |
Southsea Castle, historically also known as Chaderton Castle, South Castle and Portsea Castle,
The castle was expanded in the 1680s by Sir
History
16th century
Southsea Castle was built as a consequence of international tensions between England,
In 1533, Henry broke with Pope
The castle was built on the southern end of
The work was carried out quickly due to the risk of a French attack, and by July two brass
The French invasion emerged in 1545, when Admiral
17th century
In the early 1600s, England was at peace with France and Spain and as a result the coastal defences received little attention; a survey found Southsea Castle to be "verie ill prepared for defence", with no guns mounted along the walls or any stocks of powder.[25] In March 1626, a serious fire broke out that destroyed the interior of the keep and generated panic among the ships moored nearby.[26] The damage was not repaired until 1635, when 210 loads of timber was sent from the New Forest for use in the work.[27] Another serious fire then broke out in 1640, causing damage to the lodgings and store rooms.[28]
At the start of the
The castle was primarily used as a prison during the
When opposition grew in 1688 against the Catholic King
18th – 19th centuries
The east side of the castle was badly damaged in an explosion in August 1759, caused after cooking sparks fell onto
With the outbreak of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars at the end of the 18th century, Southsea Castle's importance increased once again.[42] In 1797, a French invasion appeared imminent and the castle was urgently readied for action; only eight 32-pounder (14.5 kg) and five 6-pounder (2.7 kg) guns were available and these were in a poor condition.[43] In 1813, work was begun to expand the castle, under the direction of Major-General Benjamin Fisher.[44] Fisher had the work carried out by a mixture of soldiers and civilian contractors, arguing that it made it easier to contain costs and prevent union activity and the project cost an estimated £18,105.[44][a] The fort was extended north by up to 30 feet (9.1 m), with the keep and interior bailey redesigned in brick.[42] The moat was rebuilt and a counterscarp galley was built round the edge.[42] Most of the work was finished by 1814 although the final elements were not completed until 1816.[44]
A
An 1837 enquiry had looked into the management of military offenders in the south of England and in 1844 it was decided to bring Southsea Castle and Fort Clarence into use as military prisons, to reduce the pressure on the civilian gaols in the area and to provide a more suitable military environment for the prisoners.[50] Southsea was used as a prison until 1850, holding 150 offenders under the supervision of a Royal Artillery sergeant who also oversaw the remaining artillery defences.[51]
The introduction of
Fresh worries about France, combined with the development of
By the 1890s, the castle's defences had become obsolete once again due to the development of
Meanwhile, in 1785, the government had taken possession of
20th – 21st centuries
At the start of the 20th century, Southsea Castle formed part of the "Fortress Portsmouth" plan for defending the Solent, the east battery equipped with two
During the Second World War, the Hampshire Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery (Territorial Army), occupied the castle, which was used as the Headquarters Portsmouth Fixed Defences.
During the war, the castle was involved in an armed stand-off with French naval vessels.
Southsea Castle was obsolete in the post-war years and in 1960 it was sold to Portsmouth City Council for £35,000.
In the 21st century the castle is still operated as a tourist attraction by the council and received over 90,000 visitors from 2011–12.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Comparing early modern costs and prices with those of the modern period is challenging. £3,100 in 1544 could be equivalent to between £1.3 million and £590 million in 2014 terms, depending on the price comparison used. £18,105 in 1814 could equate to between £1.17 million and £64.2 million. For comparison, the total royal expenditure on all the Device Forts across England between 1539 and 1547 came to £376,500, with St Mawes and Sandgate Castle, for example, costing ££5,018 and £5,584 apiece.[17]
- ^ a b £16,670 in 1901 equates to between £1.634 million and £15.84 million in 2014 terms, depending on the price comparison used. £35,000 in 1960 equates to between £720,000 and £2.4 million.[59]
References
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 9
- ^ Thompson 1987, p. 111; Hale 1983, p. 63
- ^ King 1991, pp. 176–177
- ^ Morley 1976, p. 7
- ^ Hale 1983, p. 63; Harrington 2007, p. 5
- ^ Morley 1976, p. 7; Hale 1983, pp. 63–64
- ^ Hale 1983, p. 66; Harrington 2007, p. 6
- ^ Harrington 2007, p. 11; Walton 2010, p. 70
- ^ Hale 1983, p. 80
- ^ Harrington 2007, pp. 29–30
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 5; Harrington 2007, p. 30; Colvin, Ransome & Summerson 1982, pp. 557, 563
- ^ Corney 1968, pp. 5, 7; Harrington 2007, p. 30; Colvin, Ransome & Summerson 1982, p. 557
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 7; Colvin, Ransome & Summerson 1982, pp. 561–562
- ^ Hale 1983, pp. 77, 90
- ^ a b Colvin, Ransome & Summerson 1982, p. 558
- ^ Colvin, Ransome & Summerson 1982, pp. 557–558
- ^ Biddle et al. 2001, p. 12; Harrington 2007, p. 8; Lawrence H. Officer; Samuel H. Williamson (2014), "Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 18 December 2015
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 7
- ^ Colvin, Ransome & Summerson 1982, p. 563
- ^ Potter 2011, p. 376; Hale 1983, p. 86; Harrington 2007, p. 45; Corney 1968, p. 10
- ^ Potter 2011, p. 376; Corney 1968, p. 10
- ^ Harrington 2007, pp. 45–46
- ^ Hale 1983, p. 86; Colvin, Ransome & Summerson 1982, pp. 561–563
- ^ Corney 1965, p. 7
- ^ Harrington 2007, p. 49; Saunders 1989, pp. 70–71; Brooks 1996, p. 10; Corney 1968, p. 10
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 10
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 11
- ^ a b c d Corney 1968, p. 14
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 14; Brooks 1996, p. 10; Webb 1977, pp. 18–19
- ^ a b c d Corney 1968, p. 15
- ^ Webb 1977, pp. 18–19
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 15; Saunders 1989, p. 91
- ^ Saunders 1989, p. 92; Corney 1968, p. 15
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 4
- ^ Childs 1980, p. 151; Miller 2007, p. 241
- ^ Childs 1980, p. 193
- ^ Childs 1980, p. 193; Miller 2007, p. 241
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 11
- ^ a b c Corney 1968, p. 17; Brooks 1996, p. 12
- ^ a b Corney 1968, p. 17
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 12
- ^ a b c Corney 1968, p. 18
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 13
- ^ a b c Brooks 1996, p. 14
- ^ Moore 1988, p. 97; Lloyd 1974, p. 78
- ^ "Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2". pp. 289–290.
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 5
- ^ "Southsea Castle light retired as new Portsmouth Approach Channel opened". Practical Boat Owner. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Southsea Castle Lighthouse". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain 1849, p. 16
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 15
- ^ Coad 1985, p. 76
- ^ a b Brooks 1996, p. 16; Corney 1968, p. 19
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 17; Anonymous 1856, p. 2
- ^ Saunders 1989, pp. 175–176
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 16; Corney 1968, pp. 19, 21
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 16; Corney 1968, p. 21; Saunders 1989, p. 1786
- ^ a b Brooks 1996, pp. 16–17
- ^ Lawrence H. Officer; Samuel H. Williamson (2014), "Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 18 December 2015
- ^ Quail 2000, pp. 16–17; Bettey 2014, pp. 244–245
- ^ Bettey 2014, pp. 244–245; Corney 1968, p. 9
- ^ Corney 1968, pp. 18, 21–22; Brooks 1996, p. 17
- ^ Brooks 1996, p. 17; "Southsea Castle East Battery", Historic England, retrieved 7 May 2016; "Southsea Castle West Battery", Historic England, retrieved 7 May 2016
- ^ a b Quail 2000, p. 105
- ^ Osborne 2011, p. 127
- ^ Quail 2000, p. 107
- ^ "Southsea Castle West Battery", Historic England, retrieved 7 May 2016; "Southsea Common", Historic England, 2002, retrieved 7 May 2016
- ^ a b Corney 1968, p. 22
- ^ "Southsea Castle East Battery", Historic England, retrieved 7 May 2016; Quail 2000, p. 113
- ^ a b Brooks 1996, p. 19
- ^ Quail 2000, p. 113
- ^ Wragg 2007, p. 106; Tucker 2004, pp. 63–64
- ^ Quail 2000, p. 113; Brooks 1996, p. 18
- ^ Murfett 2009, p. 84
- ^ Corney 1968, p. 22; Brooks 1996, p. 20; "Southsea Common", Historic England, 2002, retrieved 7 May 2016; "Welcome to Southsea Castle", Portsmouth Museums and Records, archived from the original on 20 February 2001, retrieved 8 May 2016
- ^ "Southsea Common", Historic England, 2002, retrieved 7 May 2016
- ^ "Culture Leisure and Sport Decision Meeting" (PDF), Portsmouth City Council, 12 October 2012, p. 6, retrieved 8 May 2016; "Welcome to Southsea Castle", Portsmouth Museums and Records, archived from the original on 20 February 2001, retrieved 8 May 2016
- ^ Boxell 2010, pp. 23, 98–105
- ^ "Southsea Castle", Historic England, retrieved 17 April 2016
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