Tourist Attractions near Portsmouth Military Forts Porchester Castle Portsdown Hill

Portchester Castle

Just outside Portsmouth to the west at the northern shore of Portsmouth Harbour is Portchester Castle. It is one of the most important castles along the south coast that has played a pivotal role in defending the English coastline for hundreds of years.

The Romans first built a simple fortification on the site in the third century as one of a string of castles along the south coast shores to ward off the increasingly rebellious Saxons. When it was abandoned by the Romans, the Saxons began adding to the site using the Roman walls as the fortifications with further additions in the medieval period and in the eighteenth century. The Castle was on the frontline of the Hundred Years War and was the departure point for Henry V in 1415 when he travelled to Agincourt and uncovered the Southampton Plot.

It is a fantastic example of a Roman "Saxon shore" castle and it is the only Roman stronghold in northern Europe with the original walls still standing to their full height. The original Keep is also incredibly well preserved. Today it houses an exhibition on the various uses of the castle over its 1700 year history. After King Henry VII founded the Royal Dockyard at Portsmouth, the castle lost its importance and was used to house troops in the Civil War and as a goal for prisoners of war during the Dutch and Napoleonic Wars.

You can walk around the walls and the grounds inside the castle walls free of charge. If you pay the entrance fee into the castle itself you can pick up an audio tour which has entertaining stories about different aspects of the castle including its time as a prison and the stories of ghosts that are said to haunt it! The Castle is open between March-September 10am-6pm and 10am-4pm from October to March. Portchester Castle, Hampshire PO16 9QW.

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Portsdown Hill

From all over Portsmouth and the surrounding area you can easily see the bright white chalk of Portsdown Hill to the north of the city. Its highest point is 390 feet and it stretches from Fareham in the west to Havant in East Hampshire. It is very much like the South Downs that cover much of East Hampshire. The hill has been a centre of occupation since prehistoric times and several Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Saxon burial sites have been found on the hill.

The grassland that grows naturally on the chalk is species-rich with a range of flowers including hairy rock-cress, pale flax, meadow cranesbill, horseshoe vetch, bastard toadflax, early gentian, knapweed broomrape, bee orchid and fly orchid. These attract a wide range of wildlife including crickets and a huge array of butterflies including chalkhill blues, gatekeepers and marbled whites. Some of the hill is open to the public.

The Portsdown Hill Conservation Volunteers have a helpful downloadable map with accompanying notes on what you might see.

Another interesting aspect to Portsdown Hill are the tunnels that were excavated and used during World War II. Excavation was started in 1941 and eventually included facilities such as bunks, canteen facilities, toilets and ventilation shafts.

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Military Forts near Portsmouth

With its high vantage point with views right across Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent Portsdown Hill's traditionally been an important defensive barrier. Because of this a string of fortifications were built due to worries that the French would invade and that Portsmouth was vulnerable. As a result of the 1859 Royal Commission's conclusions a series of forts were built along the south coast and Portsmouth Harbour was encircled by a series of forts. Collectively these were known as the Palmerston Forts after Lord Palmerston who instigated the Royal Commission on the Defence of the UK in 1859, with a particular concentration built to protect Portsmouth's harbour and dockyard from seaward and landward attack. The forts along Portsdown Hill were Fort Wallington, Fort Nelson, Portsmouth, Fort Southwick, Fort Widley, Fort Purbrook, Crookhorn Redoubt and Farlington Redoubt. There are also a variety of pillboxes and batteries across the hills.

Fort Nelson is open to the public and has been fully restored on a nineteen acre site. It houses a collection of 350 guns and historic canons that are part of the national collection of arms and armour. Other displays within the fort cover a variety of military stories and include Saddam Hussein's infamous "Supergun" and the trebuchet from the movie "Gladiator". Galleries in the fort trace military history and the development of artillery through thousands of years. There is a gift shop on site where you can buy toys and gifts and military related books and souvenir guides.

Fort Nelson is open: Apr-Oct daily 10am 5pm. Weds 11am 5pm. Nov-Mar daily 10.30am-4pm, Weds 11.30am-4pm. Closed 24-26 December. General museum enquiries Tel: 01329 233 734. Email: fnenquiries@armouries.org.uk.

Royal Armouries Museum, Fort Nelson, Portsdown Hill Road, Fareham PO17 6AN.

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