Round Tower (Portsmouth)

The Round Tower is a fortification at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour.^[1] It is a Grade I listed building.^[2]

Round Tower
Type	Fortification
Location	Broad Street, Portsmouth
Coordinates	50°47.432′N 001°06.531′W
OS grid reference	SZ 62911 99373
Area	Hampshire
Built	c.1490
Architectural style(s)	Tudor
Owner	Portsmouth City Council
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	The Round Tower
Designated	30 October 1969
Reference no.	1386901
Location of Round Tower in Hampshire

History

The site was originally occupied by a wooden tower before being replaced by a stone one.^[3]

The wooden tower

The wooden tower was built between 1418 and 1426 on the orders of King Henry V,^[3] or c1415.^[4]

In 1422, a defensive chain that could be raised in an emergency was built from the round tower across the harbour entrance.^[5]

The stone tower

A depiction of how the round tower appeared in 1545

Portsmouth Harbour by Clarkson Stanfield, 1831. The Round Tower is visible in the centre along with other Portsmouth landmarks.

In the 1490s the tower was rebuilt in stone.^[6] In the 1680s a line of ramparts was added that connected the tower to the square tower.^[6] The upper section was later rebuilt during the Napoleonic wars.^[1] Between 1847 and 1850 the roof of the tower was modified to serve as a gun platform.^[7] Portsmouth city council purchased the tower in 1958.^[8]

See also

• Fortifications of Portsmouth