Fortifications of Portsmouth - Expansion Under The Tudors

Expansion Under The Tudors

During Henry VII's rule the round tower was rebuilt in stone and the Square Tower was added. There is though some question to what extent it was meant as a defensive structure. It appears likely that what is now known as the saluting platform was also built during the reign of Henry VII. His son Henry VIII had Southsea Castle built. To the north of the city it is believed that a small fortification was constructed to defend the bridge across Portsbridge Creek. In 1522 the first of several chains that could be raised in an attempt to block the harbour entrance was ordered. By 1542 Portsmouth was surrounded by defensive ramparts of wood and earth with a number of towers constructed in the same manner. One tower was positioned on the corner where the wall extending from the saluting platform met the wall running along the southeast rampart of the town. The southeast rampart was also equipped with what appears to be a firing platform. Another tower was constructed on the corner where the ramparts to the south east and the northeast of the town met. In the centre of the northwest rampart was the town gate defended by a structure known as The Mount which also acted as a bastion. Finally the wall to the north of the town had a tower at each end one where it joined the northeast wall and one where it met the sea. In an attempt to defend against invasion by sea gabions were constructed along the edge of the Camber. Portsmouth Point was separated from the town by a Palisade. Somewhere around 1545 a wooden wall was constructed from the Round tower to saluting platform.

The next phase of expansion started in the late 1550s and continued through the rest of Elizabeth I's reign. From about 1560 the work was largely under the direction of Richard Popynjay. The ramparts were updated and the gabions along the edge of the Camber and the palisade that cut off Portsmouth point were replaced by stone wall. Other works including improving the various towers with some of them developing into bastions. The Mount defending the town gate was reconstructed, developing into what could be considered a true bastion in the process. The saluting platform also saw some rebuilding work during this period.

Another development during this period is that an increasing number of the names used for the fortifications survived until the present day. The bastion on the corner where the wall extending from the saluting platform met the wall running along the southeast rampart of the town was recorded as Green's Bulwark or Chaterton's Bulwark. Of the two towers on the corners of the north wall of the town the one at the western end was known as the Dock Bulwark while the one at the eastern end is recorded as Guyes Bulwark. The mount is also recorded as being known as the Great Bastion. The gate that controlled access to Portsmouth point was known as the North Gate although by 1571 it (along with other parts of the fortifications) was in a poor state of repair.

The second half of Elizabeth I's reign saw yet more work on the bastions and the first bridge at the Landport gate which was constructed in about 3 years starting 1586. During this time there also appears to have seen a fair amount of repair work. Sometime around 1600 a new gate known as point gate replaced the North Gate in controlling access to Portsmouth point.