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TimeRef.com
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  1. Home
  2. Medieval Places
  3. Portchester Castle
Castle
Castle
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Portchester Castle

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 County

Hampshire (6 castles) 

 Categories

Stone / Norman Square Keep

 Remains

Not complete but much survives

 Access

Only open at certain times

 Location50.8376,-1.1138 (Google Maps) DirectionsDirections via Google Maps
 County

Hampshire (6 castles) 

 Categories

Stone / Norman Square Keep

 Remains

Not complete but much survives

 Access

Only open at certain times

 Location
50.8376,-1.1138
 Directions
Directions via Google Maps
ortchester Castle was a significant fort in Roman times and has remained in good condition because of its continued use over the years. It stands on the shore near Portsmouth harbour and is rectangular in shape. Unlike the other Roman forts on the south coast where silting up of the surrounding land has occurred such as at Pevensey, Portchester has remained near the coastline. In around 1120 Henry I built a medieval castle within the walls of the Roman castle repairing the existing walls, building gates and constructing a large square keep in keeping with the fashion of the time. Extra walls were added in the north-west corner to create an enclosure surrounded by a small moat. In 1133 a small Augustinian Priory was built in the outer bailey and the remains of the church can still be visited.

The castle was in a convenient position for royal parties to stay at when preparing to travel across to Normandy and both Henry II and Richard II made improvements to it during their reigns. But Portchester Castle lost its status as an important Royal residence in the reign of King John when the castle was almost destroyed after being captured by the Dauphin Louis in 1217 and Portsmouth became the favoured departure point to Normandy, rather than Portchester. In more recent times the castle was used a prison during the Napoleonic Wars when French soldiers were held there.

At the heart of Portchester is the massive keep and inner bailey located in the north west corner of the castle. All of this was built by the Normans long after the castle was abandoned by the Romans. The two storey building range to the north and directly opposite you as you enter the inner bailey is the residence of the constable of the castle. When the King, Queen or Lord was not in residence, the constable was the most important person in the castle.

The two ranges of buildings attached directly to the large keep, to the west and south of the inner bailey were built by King Richard II during the last five years of the fourteenth century, just before his death. Rooms in the west range were for use by the royal party when they stayed at the castle and included a large room on the upper floor known as the Great chamber. The southern range contained a large hall for dining and kitchens. A porch on the southern range provided access to the dining hall and the royal appartments beyond.

The outer bailey has a main road that runs the length of the castle from the landgate in the west wall to the Watergate in the east wall. In Roman times the buildings within this area would have been made of wood and with all the changes that occurred over the centuries no traces of them remain. In Saxon and later medieval times other buildings were constructed and pulled down and the land used for farming.||In the south east corner of the outer bailey is the church of St. Mary. The church was part of an Augustinian monastery that existed for a short period on the site before being moved a couple of miles to the north at Southwick.

In the reconstruction below the outer bailey has been divided up into several areas showing how the area may have been used. It may have had an area for growing crops and raising animals. Being self-contained and having fresh food within a castle was a great advantage if the castle was besieged by enemy forces. Portchester Castle was a place where troops came together before being shipped over to Normandy and France in times of war. The inner bailey was too small to hold all of the troops so the outer bailey was used to house them while they waited.

Location

See Also

People

  • Henry (I, King of England 1100-1135)
  • Louis (VIII, The Lion, King of France 1223-1226)
  • A .. Z List of Medieval People

Places

  • Pevensey Castle
  • A .. Z List of Medieval Buildings

Related Information

  • Why build and live in castles
  • Castle development timeline
  • Keep and bailey castles
  • Castles of William the Conqueror
  • Motte and bailey castles
  • Shell-Keeps
  • Square keeps
  • Polygonal Keeps
  • Castles of Edward I
  • Parts of a castle
  • Location of lots of castles
  • Castle construction timeline

Related Maps

  • Map of Castles

Related Episodes

The First Barons' War (click here)

The First Barons' War (click here)

Henry V - The Hundred Years War (click here)

Henry V - The Hundred Years War (click here)

Location Map (click to explore)

Virtual Reconstruction

Desktop/Laptop version

Explore Portchester Castle

Explore Portchester Castle by clicking the button below.

 

For best results when exploring the reconstruction press 'L' to go full screen. Press 'Shift' to run.

Mobile Version

This is a detailed reconstruction and should work on a high-end mobile and table devices. It is built using the the Unity 3D game engine.

This may take a while to load and the screen will go blank, but please be patient.

 

Timeline

1133

...

Augustinians at Portchester

A small priory was built by Augustinian monks within the confines of Portchester Castle.

1150

...

Portchester Castle keep enlarged

The keep at Portchester Castle was enlarged by raising its height.

1217

...

Portchester castle captured

Prince Louis captured and almost destroyed the castle at Portchester.

1396

...

Portchester Castle Palace

King Richard II had a palace built at Portchester Castle. This included the improvement to two ranges of buildings within the inner bailey of the castle. Kitchens, a large hall and private appartments were added to the castle to provide royal accommodation for when the King stayed at the castle.

1415

August 11

Henry sails for France

Preparations for war were complete and Henry's army set sail from Southampton for the French coast.

Click image to explore a 3D map

On a tablet device? Click here for mobile version.

3D Virtual Reconstructions

Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past. Built using the popular game development tool Unity 3D, these reconstructions will run in the most of the popular web browsers on your desktop or laptop computer.

Medieval people

Uncover the lives of the hundreds of kings, queens, lords, ladies, barons, earls, archbishops and rebels who made the medieval people an exciting period of history to live through.

Location

See Also

People

  • Henry (I, King of England 1100-1135)
  • Louis (VIII, The Lion, King of France 1223-1226)
  • A .. Z List of Medieval People

Places

  • Pevensey Castle
  • A .. Z List of Medieval Buildings

Related Information

  • Why build and live in castles
  • Castle development timeline
  • Keep and bailey castles
  • Castles of William the Conqueror
  • Motte and bailey castles
  • Shell-Keeps
  • Square keeps
  • Polygonal Keeps
  • Castles of Edward I
  • Parts of a castle
  • Location of lots of castles
  • Castle construction timeline

Related Maps

  • Map of Castles
3D/VR

Virtual Buildings

Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past.

Explore the White Tower

Explore all four floors of the White Tower at the Tower of London using the Unity 3d game engine.

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