Fort Southwick, That Part in Portsmouth Civil Parish

Fort Southwick is a fort built around 1860 by Captain William Crossman of the Royal Engineers. It is part of a series of forts, known as Palmerston's Follies, constructed along the chalk ridge of Portsdown Hill to defend Portsmouth against landward attacks in the 1860s. The fort features brick walls in English bond, with the outer face of the defensive walls made of flint, accented by horizontal and vertical bands of brickwork and a blind arcade at the upper level.

The structure has a polygonal plan with four vertical faces facing a deep dry ditch, a fire step behind the parapet, and two-storeyed caponiers at three corners to provide raking fire along the ditches. Inside the outer framework is an embankment topped with open gun emplacements. Below the central parade ground, there are brick-lined passageways, ammunition stores, and staircases leading to various points, along with sunken embrasures for mortars behind the caponier positions.

At the rear of the fort, there is a set of barracks, and the south face is a high brick wall that was originally protected by a continuous ditch. There are entrances on each side, which were once approached by drawbridges, featuring bold 'Norman' doorways made of stone with recessed orders of mouldings above columns. The fort includes many interesting details of fortification design and is similar to Fort Widley. It is mainly located within the boundary of Winchester City Council but the southernmost part falls within Portsmouth Council's jurisdiction. The fort is also designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.