Fort Southwick

Fort Southwick is a Grade I listed fortification located on Portsdown Hill, built in the 1860s as part of a series of forts designed to defend Portsmouth from landward attacks, commonly referred to as Palmerston's Folly. The fort features brick walls constructed 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 is integrated into the natural ridge and has a polygonal plan with four vertical faces leading to a deep dry ditch. It includes a fire step behind the parapet and two-storeyed caponiers at three corners, allowing for raking fire along the ditches. Inside the outer framework, there 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 features a high brick wall that was originally protected by a continuous ditch. Entrances on either side, once accessed by drawbridges, are marked by bold 'Norman' doorways made of stone, complete with recessed orders of mouldings above columns. The fort showcases many interesting details of fortification design and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is important to note that the southern part of the fort lies within the City of Portsmouth.