Southsea Castle
Built in 1544, the Castle was part of a series of fortifications constructed by Henry VIII around England's coasts to protect the country from invaders. Barely was the work completed when Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose, tragically sank in front of the Castle. During the English Civil War, nearly a century later, the Castle was captured for the only time in its history, by Parliamentarian forces.
Over the centuries, Southsea Castle's defences were strengthened so that it could continue to protect Portsmouth. In the 19th Century a tunnel was built to defend the Castle moat. Visitors can still enter the tunnel and see how the Castle would have been defended against invaders.
The Castle has had many other uses besides defence. For a while it was a military prison. A lighthouse was built in the 1820s, and is still in use by shipping today. In 1960 the Castle left military service. It was acquired by Portsmouth City Council, which restored the Castle to its 19th century appearance.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Opening Times
Open Daily:
April-September - 10am-5.30pm
October-March - closed except by prior group booking.
Last entry is 30 minutes before closing time.
Admission:
UB40: Holders of UB40 admitted at student rate.
Senior Citizens: Concessions for adults aged 60 or over.
Children: aged 13 and under are free if accompanied by a full paying adult.
Education
British schools free if booked in advance.
Groups
Discounts if booked 48hrs in advance, for parties of 20 or more.
Car parking
Car and coach pay and display parking is available near the museum, including in the D-Day Museum car park, and on Clarence Esplanade and the Avenue de Caen.
Travelling by Public Transport
Southsea Castle is roughly the same distance from both Portsmouth Harbour, and Portsmouth & Southsea train stations.
There are taxi ranks at both stations, or else you can catch the No.700 bus from Portsmouth Harbour station, or the No.19 bus from near Portsmouth & Southsea station.
Address:
City Museum & Records Office
Museum Road
Portsmouth
PO1 2LJ