 Hurst Castle
When viewed from the Solent, Hurst Castle remains an awesome sight even
today. The massive Victorian gun batteries seem to stare out menacingly
from the wind-swept shingle spit which curls away towards the Isle
of Wight. In common with many fortifications, the origins of Hurst Castle
came well before Victorian times, the use of 'castle' in
its title giving some clue as to when more modest structures occupied the site.
The western entrance of the Solent, narrowing to less than a mile between the mainland
and the Isle of Wight, has always been strategically important due to the natural harbours at Southampton and Portsmouth.
As artillery improved in the early 16th century it became possible
to defend this area against enemy shipping by locating gun emplacements
on opposite shorelines, thus creating crossfire. When Henry VIII's
break with Rome occurred, England's natural enemies of Spain
and France posed a potential invasion threat. Henry's response
was to improve England's coastal defences by building a chain
of small concentric castles from the River Humber in the north-east, to Milford
Haven in the south-west. The bulk of these fortifications were situated
in the south and south-east where the risk of invasion was deemed highest.
Hurst Castle was one of these purpose-built military defences.
Work commenced c1541 and appears to have continued for some three years. Hurst Castle
was more sophisticated in its design than many
other castles of that time, and this suggests that it was one of the
later ones to be constructed. The core of Henry's Hust Castle still
survives, although alterations to the internal arrangements have been
considerable over the years. Comprising of a twelve-sided central tower
or keep, it was surrounded by a curtain wall incorporating three semi-circular
bastions, spaced symmetrically around its perimeter. The entire structure
was then surrounded by a defensive moat, which no longer survives due
to infilling in the mid-19th century. Despite never being fully
armed, Hurst Castle had the capacity for 71 heavy guns arranged on
six different levels, making it a very powerful proposition to any
potential enemy fleet.
Little changed at Hurst Castle over the next 250 years, even with
several short periods of neglect it was never allowed to become completely
ruinous due to its strategic position. During the English Civil War
the Parliamentarians held Hurst Castle, and it subsequently became a
temporary prison to Charles I prior to his execution. In 1786 the first
of several Lighthouses were built outside Hurst Castle, but the current
lighthouse incorporated into the rear of the Victorian west wing is
a later replacement. The first significant modifications were made
to Hurst Castle with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century.
Extensive remodelling of the keep was put in hand, and the
roofs of the bastions strengthened to accommodate the heavier ordinance
of the time. In 1852 work was approved for further additions and alterations
to Hurst Castle, including the installation of two large batteries built
predominantly from shingle and earth. These were positioned to the
east and west, and were capable of holding a further 29 guns. Three
caponiers were also added at the base of the curtain walls, projecting
into the moat to provide covering fire in the event of a landward assault
(only one survives, just to the side of the main entrance).
By far the greatest impact on Hurst Castle was made with the advent
of the Crimean War. Technological advances in artillery, especially
that of the explosive shell, soon rendered the recent improvements
wholly inadequate. In 1861 radical alterations were commenced to equip
Husrt Castle for modern warfare. Over the next 13 years the recently
constructed gun batteries were removed, and the massive casemated east
and west wings were constructed. Once completed and armed, Hurst Castle
carried 10 x 38ton RML's (rifled muzzle loaders), 15 x 18ton
RML's, 5 x 12ton RML's, and 3 x 64pdrs, and could accommodate
a garrison of some 131 officers and men. No further structural alterations
were made to the main fabric of the buildings, but armaments were constantly
reviewed as weapons technology continued to advance. By 1956 Hurst Castle
had passed into care as an ancient monument, and is now open to the
public under the guardianship of English Heritage. |
