UOP History students studying the second-year Working with the Past module have launched an interactive trail for Southsea Castle, which was built for Henry VIII in the then fashionable trace italienne style of angled star-shaped fort, examples of which you can find all across Europe. Click here to read a post about how the Castle was captured by the parliamentarians at the start of the English Civil War from its drunken royalist commander! The trail follows the launch of a student-written trail for Portsmouth Cathedral last year. Each of the students – Ben Whiteman, Charlie Wilkinson, Madi East and Magdalena Djakovic – worked on a different part of the structure: […]
Author Archive | Fiona McCall
Southsea Castle ramparts (ocean side)
By Fiona McCall on May 14, 2026 in Learning in Focus, Public History, Research in Focus, Uncategorized
By Magdalena Djaković From the ocean side of the ramparts of Southsea Castle, one quickly comes to realize just how dependent the site was upon visibility. Although the current views towards the Isle of Wight appear to be tranquil, in the past, the area would have been filled with anticipation and control. This can be seen in Figure 1, the wide, uninterrupted view toward Isle of Wight demonstrates the strategic advantage of this position. From here, defenders would have been able to monitor approaching ships long before they reached Portsmouth Harbour, giving valuable time to prepare artillery and coordinate a response. The castle itself was built in 1544 as […]
Southsea Castle Keep
By Fiona McCall on May 14, 2026 in Learning in Focus, Public History, Research in Focus, Uncategorized
By Madi East In the 16th century, England faced growing threats, particularly from France and Spain. In recognition of this, King Henry the 8th ordered the construction of new coastal defences, including Southsea Castle. The location of Southsea Castle was strategically chosen to overlook the main navigable channel into Portsmouth harbour, through the Solent. It was accompanied by a range of defences such as artillery, chain booms, and the use of natural features (like the sandbanks of the Solent) to their advantage. Any ship that attempted to reach the harbour would be forced into the range of the castle’s guns, making it an ideal artillery platform. [1] It is suggested […]
A heritage-lottery funded project to explore Black lives in Portsmouth
The Portsmouth Black History Group has been awarded a grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to fill a gap in the Portsmouth archives by documenting the experiences of the pioneering African and Caribbeans who made the city their home after the Second World War. Our own Dr Jodi Burkett, Senior Lecturer in History, who is the University’s current representative on the Portsmouth Black History Group, comments: “This project will add to a growing national picture of the role, experiences and importance of African and Caribbean people to the development of British society in the late twentieth century. It will enrich our understanding of the vast range of people who […]
How a history and politics degree prepared me for a career in communications at the Met Office
Like many history students UoP history and politics alumni Lucy Bricknell didn’t leave university with a clear plan of what she wanted to do next. But, as she explains below, she discovered that the skills in researching, analysis and writing she had developed in the course of her studies, prepared her well for a career in communications. When I graduated from the University of Portsmouth, like many graduates, I didn’t have a perfectly mapped‑out career plan. I knew I enjoyed research, writing and understanding the bigger picture, but I wasn’t yet sure how those interests would translate into a job. What I didn’t realise at the time was just how […]
Do not seek pleasure – guidelines for 17th-century widows
Last year our own Dr Maria Cannon won a fellowship to study at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. While there she came across a manuscript book, Of the Commendable Estate of Widowehoode, a translation of a 16th century Italian work which advises widows on suitable behaviour, and afterwards wrote this blog piece for the Folger Library blog. Let’s just say that having any kind of fun is out. While its lessons can appear restrictive and depressing to modern tastes, this lengthy guide reveals that women were responsible for negotiating their own behaviour, spirituality and relationship to God. https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/how-to-be-a-true-widow/