Castlefacts³

Portsmouth Round Tower

Has been described as a Certain Artillery Fort, and also as a Certain Chain Tower

There are major building remains

Name	Portsmouth Round Tower
Alternative Names
Historic Country	Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Modern Authority	Portsmouth; City of
1974 Authority	Hampshire
Civil Parish	Portsmouth

Between 1416 and 1422, £1069.9s.8 1/2 was spent on building a tower 'for the safe keeping of the King's ships', and constructing a wharf at 'Childrode' (Gosport) as a foundation for a second tower. The intention was to use a raisable chain to close the mouth of the harbour against enemy shipping. The Round Tower had to be protected from the sea by rocks secured by wooden piling. During Elizabeth's reign, every vessel plying between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight was required to bring one boat-load of stones per annum and 'boye them within the pyles of the Round Tower' or pay a 2s fine (HKW).

Between 1492 and 1494, £2099.16s.4d was spent on refurbishing the towers and adding a beaked projection to the South of the Round Tower, 'the murder-house', to provide raking gunfire along the Tower's Southern approach (HKW) (PastScape)

The Square Tower, King's Stairs, Sally Port, Eighteen Gun Battery, Round Tower, Flanking battery, Walls. The Square Tower stands at the south-west end of the High Street, part of the sea defences first constructed 1494, but repaired and reconstructed since. Once residence of the Governor of Portsmouth, then a powder magazine. Plain massive square ashlar tower. Ashlar wall to north-west connects tower to King's Stairs, and the Sally Port. From the Sally Port the Eighteen Gun Battery extends northwards to the Round Tower with a return section at right angles known as the Flanking Battery. The Round Tower is probably the earliest of the stone built defences, circa 1415. It is cylindrical with string courses dividing the three storeys. The ground floor circa 1538-40 gun ports of this period mostly blocked. Upper storeys probably part of Sir Bernard de Gomme's reconstruction, but largely rebuilt in early C.19, when the interior was recast with massive brickwork vaulting, casements behind the gun ports. Top reconstruction circa 1847-50 and adapted as gun platform

Eighteen Gun battery and Flanking battery are part of the last phase of De Gomme's scheme, reconstructed 1847-50, when casements deepened and upper tier added to the flanking battery. The seaward walls were all refaced in ashlar at this time. (Hampshire Treasures)

Gatehouse Comments

The Round Tower is probably the earliest of the stone built defences, circa 1415. It is cylindrical with string courses dividing the three storeys. The ground floor circa 1538-40 gun ports of this period mostly blocked. Upper storeys probably part of Sir Bernard de Gomme's reconstruction, but largely rebuilt in early C.19, when the interior was recast with massive brickwork vaulting, casements behind the gun ports. Top reconstruction circa 1847-50 and adapted as gun platform. Held west end of chain across harbour mouth, east end held by Fort Blockhouse, Gosport

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number

1001870

Historic England Listed Building number(s)

1386901

Images Of England

474314

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

859258

County Historic Environment Record

www.portsmouthmuseums.co.uk/museum-service/contact

OS Map Grid Reference	SZ629993
Latitude	50.7905387878418
Longitude	-1.10888004302979
Eastings	462910
Northings	99370