Portchester Castle

Portchester Castle is a complex structure incorporating a Roman fort, Portus Adurni, built in the late 3rd or early 4th century, along with significant medieval additions and alterations. The Roman fort’s main walls, constructed from flint with brick or stone bonding courses, form a square approximately 200 yards wide, enclosing between 8 and 9 acres. These walls have been substantially repaired during the medieval period. Originally, the angles of the fort featured hollow, semi-circular bastions, with 4 on each side, for a total of 20. Fourteen of these bastions survive today. The initial entrances were located in the centre of the west and east sides, but the current gateways are medieval. The west, or land gate, has a lower storey dating back to the 12th century, built with ashlar and featuring a three-centred archway. The upper portion is 14th century rubble stonework and contains a window with two tiers of three lights on its inner side, surmounted by two corbel heads above the cornice. The east, or watergate, comprises two sections separated by an archway, faced with ashlar. The outer section is 14th century and incorporates a portcullis groove above the archway. The inner section is older and includes a circular turret staircase in the southwest corner.

Within the northwest corner of the Roman fort, a medieval castle was constructed during the reign of Henry II. This castle includes a massive keep positioned within the angle of the Roman walls, where the walls were cut away to form an inner bailey. A projecting tower is located in the southeast corner, and a gateway exists within the south wall, with a moat extending south and east, filled with water at high tide via a sluice in the Roman wall. The keep, projecting beyond the Roman fortifications, remains largely intact and measures 40 feet square, with walls 8 feet thick. The original three storeys were built around 1160, with a fourth storey added in the early 13th century. The other buildings within the inner bailey are now ruined. Structures along the west and south walls of the inner bailey, along with Assheton’s Tower in the northwest corner, were erected in the 14th century. Further buildings to the south of Assheton’s Tower along the west wall were constructed in the 17th century. The castle forms a group with St Mary's Church, the Churchyard walls, a lamp in the Churchyard and the lychgate.