Portland Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Portland Castle |
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| Dorset, England | |
The entrance to the outer courtyard
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 Portland Castle
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| Coordinates | 50°34′06″N 02°26′48″W / 50.56833°N 2.44667°W |
| Type | Device Fort |
| Site information | |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Intact |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1539–41 |
| In use | 1949 |
| Materials | Portland stone |
| Events | English Civil War First Anglo-Dutch War |
| Official name | Portland Castle |
| Designated | 9 October 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1015326 |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name | Portland Castle |
| Designated | 17 May 1993 |
| Reference no. | 1205262 |
Portland Castle is an old fort built by King Henry VIII. It stands on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The castle was built between 1539 and 1541.
It was part of the King's plan to protect England. This plan was called the Device programme. The castle helped guard against attacks from France and the Holy Roman Empire. It protected the important Portland Roads harbour.
The castle has a unique fan shape. It was made from strong Portland stone. It features a curved central tower and a special area for cannons. Two angled wings are on either side.
Soon after it was built, the castle had eleven cannons. These were used to fight enemy ships. It worked with Sandsfoot Castle, located across the harbour.
During the English Civil War, supporters of King Charles I (called Royalists) took the castle. It survived two attacks. Finally, it surrendered to Parliament's forces in 1646.
Portland Castle was used as a fort until 1815. After that, it became a private house. But in 1869, the army took it over again. They needed it for soldiers' living quarters.
During the First World War and Second World War, the castle was used for offices and storage. In 1949, the army left. Since 1955, it has been open to the public. Today, English Heritage looks after it. It is a popular place for tourists to visit.
Contents
History of Portland Castle
Building the Castle (1500s)
Portland Castle was built because of problems between England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. This happened during the last years of King Henry VIII's rule. Before this, local lords usually handled coastal defenses. The King did not build many forts.
In 1533, King Henry VIII broke away from the Pope. He wanted to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Catherine was the aunt of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V felt insulted by this.
In 1538, France and the Holy Roman Empire became allies against Henry. The Pope encouraged them to attack England. It looked like England would be invaded. So, in 1539, Henry ordered new forts to be built along the coast. This was to "defend the country in time of invasion."
Lord Russell checked the coast around Portland Roads. He decided that two castles were needed there. These were Portland Castle and Sandsfoot Castle. They would protect the area from naval attacks.
Building work started in the summer of 1539. It was finished by 1541. The cost was about £4,964, which was a lot of money back then. Thomas Mervin became the first captain. He had a small group of four gunners and two other men.
By 1545, the castle had more soldiers, about 13 men. It also had several cannons. These included large and small guns. There were also bows and arrows, and other weapons.
The threat of a French invasion ended, and peace was made in 1558. People paid less attention to Portland Castle. By 1574, the castle was in poor condition. This was also true in 1583.
But then, problems with Spain grew. So, £228 was spent to fix up Portland Castle. By 1596, the castle still had a captain and 13 men.
From War to Peace (1600s-1800s)
In the early 1600s, England was at peace. Coastal forts like Portland Castle were not well looked after. A report in 1623 said the castle had many cannons. But the walls were badly damaged by the sea. They needed a lot of repairs.
Fourteen years later, the castle had 15 guns. It had a captain and 12 men.
The English Civil War began in 1642. At first, Parliament's forces controlled Portland Castle. But in 1643, Royalist soldiers captured it. They pretended to be Parliament's soldiers to get in.
As the war turned against the King, Parliament's forces attacked the castle. They surrounded it for four months in 1644. They attacked it again the next year. The castle finally gave up in April 1646. It was hard to capture, even though it was not easy to defend from the land side.
After the war, Portland Castle was still used. It held soldiers and was a prison. In 1653, it helped defend the harbour during a naval battle. This battle lasted three days between English and Dutch ships.
When King Charles II returned to the throne in 1660, he made the army smaller. But he fixed the castle's defenses. This was because of the ongoing threat from the Dutch. By 1676, the castle had 16 guns.
Portland Castle continued to be used in the 1700s. It mainly protected ships from pirates. This included ships carrying stone from the local Portland quarries. Reports in 1702 and 1715 said the fort was falling apart. The sea had washed away a lot of its foundations. The number of cannons was reduced to seven.
By 1779, the castle had only three men looking after it and eight guns. It had not been repaired in 30 years. During the Napoleonic Wars, the castle got more powerful guns. But it was still in poor condition.
After Napoleon was defeated, the castle was no longer used as a fort. It was rented out to a local churchman named John Manning. He turned it into a private house. His son, Charles Manning, continued to improve it. He turned an old house next to the castle into a grander home. This is now called the Captain's House.
In the late 1840s, the Portland Roads area became an artificial harbour. A large wall called a breakwater was built. New forts were built nearby to protect it. But the old Portland Castle was left as it was.
In 1869, Charles Manning died. With new fears of invasion, the army took over the castle again. They used it as living quarters for officers.
Modern Times (1900s-Today)
In the early 1900s, the army and the Office of Works discussed what to do with the castle. In 1908, Portland Castle was put on a special list. This meant the army would still use it, but the Office of Works would help with repairs.
When the First World War started in 1914, Portland Harbour became a very important naval base. The castle was used to store weapons. Between the two World Wars, it became a military home again.
During the Second World War, British and US soldiers used it for living and offices. Part of the castle was again used to store weapons. A concrete pillbox (a small fort) was built next to the castle. It has since been removed.
After the war, Portland Castle was given to the Ministry of Works in 1949. It opened to the public in 1955. The Ministry wanted the inside to look like it did in the 1500s. So, they removed most of the changes made in the 1800s and 1900s.
The Captain's House and its gardens were used by a nearby helicopter base until 1999. When the base closed, this part of the fort also opened to visitors. The house became a visitor center.
Today, English Heritage manages Portland Castle. It is a popular tourist spot. In 2010, over 22,000 people visited. In 2023, it had its highest number of visitors ever, with 30,000 people. The main castle is a protected building. It is considered "one of the best preserved" of King Henry's forts.
Architecture of Portland Castle
The main part of Portland Castle is its central building, called the keep. It is about 120 feet (37 meters) wide. It has a central tower with two wings. There is also a gun battery at the front, facing the sea. This gives the castle an unusual fan shape.
A walled courtyard surrounds the keep. It is about 170 by 90 feet (52 by 27 meters). There are two gun platforms on either side of the keep. The Captain's House is on the western side of the courtyard. The Governor's Garden is beyond the eastern wall. You enter the castle through a gate on the south side. Above the gate is the coat of arms of King Charles II.
When it was first built, the castle had three levels of cannons. Two levels were in the front battery. A third level was in the central tower. The keep was once protected by a moat (a ditch filled with water). The moat has since been filled in. Only the slots for a drawbridge remain.
The castle could also be defended at close range with hand guns. An earthwork (a raised area of earth) was built behind the castle for extra protection.
The keep has two floors. It is made of cut Portland stone. It is considered one of the best examples of Henry VIII's forts. In the middle of the ground floor is the great hall. This was where the soldiers lived. It now has large windows.
Off the great hall are the gunners' quarters and the castle's kitchen. The kitchen has a large fireplace from the 1500s. The gun room runs along the front of the keep. This was originally a two-story area for cannons. It had openings for five guns on the ground floor and four on the first floor. The ground floor openings had vents to let out smoke from the guns.
The wooden roof and inner walls have been removed. So, the gun room is now open to the air. It now displays cannons from the 1700s and 1800s.
On the first floor are the upper hall and the captain's room. In the 1500s, the castle's commander used this as a living and working space. In the 1800s, it became a dining room and bedroom. There are also two other bedrooms, possibly for the castle's lieutenant.
The Governor's Garden was created in 2002. It has a sea theme with circular designs. It also uses local Portland stone.
Images for kids
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The entrance to the outer courtyard
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The main tower seen from the harbour
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The main tower (center) and the Captain's House (left) from the courtyard
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The castle's kitchen, restored to how it looked in the 1500s
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Plan of the castle; A – gunners' quarters; B – gun room; C – main tower; D – gun platform; E – great hall; F – kitchen; G – gun platform; H – captain's house; I – courtyard
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Pórtland para niños
