Fortifications Of Portsmouth
The Fortifications of Portsmouth are extensive, due to its strategic position on the English Channel and role as home to the Royal Navy. For this reason Portsmouth was by the 19th century one of the most fortified cities in the world. The fortifications have evolved over the centuries in response to changes in tactics and technology. The area covered by the defences has also increased. While the first defences focused on Portsmouth harbour, in concert with the Fortifications of Gosport, later defensive structures protected the whole of Portsea Island and an increasing distance inland. At the same time the fortifications of Portsmouth and Gosport became just part of the wider Fortifications of the Solent.
Old Portsmouth was a walled town for much of its history.
Read more about Fortifications Of Portsmouth: The First Fortifications, Expansion Under The Tudors, The Civil War, Reconstruction Under Charles II, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, Surviving Fortifications