Chaderton Castle

It is hard to imagine Portsmouth as it was in 1544 when Henry VIII, having fallen out with the Pope, decided to hastily build a castle to protect from the threat of invasion. Keat’s Point, where the deep water channel turns directly towards the shore, bringing any challenging vessels within firing range, was an obvious location choice. At this point in time the site was on isolated wasteland, one mile from the walled town of Portsmouth. At first widely known as Chaderton Castle, it was also called South Castle and Portsea Castle before the term Southsea Castle came into general use. This name was then naturally applied to the residential area and sea side resort that, centuries later, grew up around it. Southsea Castle is in the care of the Portsmouth Museums Service: http://www.southseacastle.co.uk/