By Ben Whiteman Beginning groundwork in 1813, the castle expansion would be overseen by Major-General Benjamin Fisherman and last until the finishing touches were made in 1817. Southsea castle spent much of the late 18th and early 19th century in a poor state of disrepair. Coastal erosion had taken parts of the western wall while an accidental gunpowder explosion in 1759 destroyed a large portion of the castle. The explosion is believed to have started from a large cooking fire in the east wing living quarters. It’s thought that sparks fell through the cracks in the old floorboards igniting the gunpowder storeroom below. However, this was never confirmed.[1] Tragically the […]
Author Archive | Fiona McCall
Southsea Castle courtyard
By Fiona McCall on May 14, 2026 in Learning in Focus, Public History, Research in Focus, Uncategorized
By Charlie Wilkinson Southsea’s well was built in 1544, abandoned in 1814, covered over during later modifications and then rediscovered in the 1960s. That means it sat unused for over 150 years, during which: the garrison changed, the fort was remodelled, obsolete artillery (including stone shot) was discarded, domestic waste accumulated. This blog discusses three objects that were discovered inside the well at Southsea Castle: a wooden bucket and pulley, stone cannon balls and pottery flask fragments. Object 1: Wooden bucket and pulley system The original well was built against the inside of the Tudor curtain wall and equipped with a simple pulley block, an oak bucket, and a […]
Portsmouth history students launch interactive trails for Southsea Castle
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: […]
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 […]