Round Tower (Portsmouth)

Last updated

Round Tower
Round Tower, Portsmouth.jpg
TypeFortification
LocationBroad Street, Portsmouth
Coordinates 50°47.432′N001°06.531′W / 50.790533°N 1.108850°W / 50.790533; -1.108850
OS grid reference SZ 62911 99373
AreaHampshire
Builtc.1490
Architectural style Tudor
Owner Portsmouth City Council
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameThe Round Tower
Designated30 October 1969
Reference no. 1386901
Hampshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Round Tower in Hampshire

The Round Tower is a fortification at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour. [1] It is a Grade I listed building. [2]

Contents

History

The site was originally occupied by a wooden tower before being replaced by a stone one. [3]

The wooden tower

The wooden tower was built between 1418 and 1426 on the orders of King Henry V, [3] or c1415. [4]

In 1422, a defensive chain that could be raised in an emergency was built from the round tower across the harbour entrance. [5]

The stone tower

A depiction of how the round tower appeared in 1545 Round tower 1545.JPG
A depiction of how the round tower appeared in 1545
Portsmouth Harbour by Clarkson Stanfield, 1831. The Round Tower is visible in the centre along with other Portsmouth landmarks. Clarkson Stanfield (1793-1867) - Portsmouth Harbour - RCIN 404789 - Royal Collection.jpg
Portsmouth Harbour by Clarkson Stanfield, 1831. The Round Tower is visible in the centre along with other Portsmouth landmarks.

In the 1490s the tower was rebuilt in stone. [6] In the 1680s a line of ramparts was added that connected the tower to the square tower. [6] The upper section was later rebuilt during the Napoleonic Wars. [1] Between 1847 and 1850 the roof of the tower was modified to serve as a gun platform. [7] Portsmouth city council purchased the tower in 1958. [8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Pettifer, Adrian (2000). English Castles: A Guide by Counties. Boydell & Brewer. p. 89. ISBN   0-85115-782-3.
  2. ↑ Historic England. "THE ROUND TOWER (1386901)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 "History of Portsmouth". Portsmouth City Council. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  4. ↑ "THE ROUND TOWER, City of Portsmouth - 1386901 | Historic England". 8 July 2019. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  5. ↑ Head of cultural services (3 June 2005). "Round Tower, Bronze Plaque" (PDF). Portsmouth City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  6. 1 2 Brown, Paul (2005). Maritime Portsmouth A History and Guide. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. 81–82. ISBN   0-7524-3537-X.
  7. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; LLoyd, David (1967). The Buildings of England Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Penguin Books. p. 422. ISBN   0140710329.
  8. ↑ Gates, William G (1987). Peak, Nigel (ed.). The Portsmouth that has Passed: With a Glimpse of Gosport. Milestone Publications. p. 16. ISBN   1-85265-111-3.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.