Round Tower (Portsmouth)

Round Tower (Portsmouth)

Coordinates: 50°47.432′N 001°06.531′W / 50.790533°N 1.10885°W / 50.790533; -1.10885

The Round Tower

The Round Tower is a fortification at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour.[1]

Contents

History

The site was originally occupied by a wooden tower before being replaced by a stone one.[2]

The wooden tower

The wooden tower was built between 1418 and 1426 on the orders of King Henry V.[2]In 1422 a chain that could be raised in an emergency was built from the round tower across the harbour entrance.[3]

The stone tower

A depiction of how the round tower appeared in 1545

In the 1490s the tower was rebuilt in stone.[4] In the 1680s a line of ramparts was added that connected the tower to the square tower.[4] The upper section was later rebuilt during the Napoleonic wars.[1] Portsmouth city council purchased the tower in 1958.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Pettifer, Adrian (2000). English Castles: A Guide by Counties. Boydell & Brewer. p. 89. ISBN 0851157823. 
  2. ^ a b "History of Portsmouth". Portsmouth City Council. http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/visiting/6408.html. Retrieved 9 October 2009. 
  3. ^ Head of cultural services (3 June 2005). "Round Tower, Bronze Plaque" (PDF). Portsmouth City Council. http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/media/cl20050630r_item4.pdf. Retrieved 9 October 2009. 
  4. ^ a b Brown, Paul (2005). Maritime Portsmouth A History and Guide. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. 81–82. ISBN 075243537X. 
  5. ^ Gates, William G (1987). Peak, Nigel. ed. The Portsmouth that has Passed: With a Glimpse of Gosport. Milestone Publications. p. 16. ISBN 1852651113. 

See also

External links

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