Castlefacts³

Portsmouth Square Tower

Has been described as a Certain Artillery Fort

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

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

The Square Tower fortification and Governor's residence, now museum. c1494, extensively altered to form a powder magazine c1580 and then the Admiralty Victualling store c1780, reinstated as part of the fortifications mid C19; restored 1978-1985. Stone and brick. Flat stone paved roof with 3 restored mid C19 gun races facing south-west. EXTERIOR: south-west part 1 storey and north-east part 2 storeys. 2 bays. Main entrance facing south-east within enclosed yard has on right a 2-leaf late C20 copy of the original C18 doors with lower panels and vertical iron bars to upper panels set under a segmental stone arch with rusticated voussoirs and jambs. On first floor is a mid C18 2-leaf 20-pane casement. To left at saluting platform level is a late C20 boarded door leading to roof area and to late C20 visitors' viewing balcony. North-west facade has on left a late C20 boarded door set within C15 opening. On right is an C18 2-leaf casement set within C15 opening and further right is a late C20 replica of the original C18 panelled door with vertical iron bars to top panel. First floor has on left a mid C19 2-leaf 4-pane casement and on far right a late C20 glazed infill. On north-east side facing Broad Street is a niche edged with a wreath. This contains a late C20 copy of a gilded lead bust of Charles I by Hubrecht le Sueur (original restored and now deposited in the City Museum). Below are the Royal Arms on a small bracket and the inscription reads "After his travels through all France into Spain and having passed very many dangers both by sea and land he arrived here the 5th day of October 1623". INTERIOR: the late C20 restoration has uncovered Tudor features including two fireplaces and C18 features which include a stone stairway on north-east side running from ground to former basement. (Listed Building Report)

Gatehouse Comments

The Square Tower stands at the south-west end of the High Street. Stone and brick tower standing 9m tall. Built in 1494 as a gun platform and house, it was used as a powder magazine from the late C16 to the early C18. Rebuilt in C19 and used as an admiralty semaphore telegraph station between 1822 and 1833, medieval work mainly buried inside.

- 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)

1386904

Images Of England

474317

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

462079

County Historic Environment Record

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

OS Map Grid Reference	SZ630992
Latitude	50.789379119873
Longitude	-1.1065399646759
Eastings	463070
Northings	99250