St Andrew's Castle, Hamble

St Andrew's Castle
Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire
St Andrew's Castle
Coordinates grid reference SU482061

St.Andrew's Castle is all that remains of a defensive structure dating to the reign of King Henry VIII.[1] It was built around 1543 as part of the Device Forts, a chain of coastal fortifications designed to defend the solent from French naval attack.[2] The site is located on Hamble Common, to the south of the village of Hamble-le-Rice. The area is also the site of an Iron Age promontory hillfort, Hamble Common Camp.

The site has a prominent position over Southampton Water and investigations suggest that it originally consisted of a rectangular structure fronted by a gun-platform with a semi-circular layout.[1] The castle was protected by a moat with an additional two gun-platform mounted on the Counterscarp.[1] The structure was intact as late as the early 17th century.[3] It was disabled in 1642 by Cromwell's Parliamentary forces and afterwards left to dereliction.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Osborne, Mike (2011). Defending Hampshire The Military Landscape from Prehistory to the Present. The History Press. p. 57. ISBN 9780752459868.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Hamble Local History webpage for St Andrew's Castle". Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  3. ↑ Osborne, Mike (2011). Defending Hampshire The Military Landscape from Prehistory to the Present. The History Press. pp. 58–59. ISBN 9780752459868.

Coordinates: 50°51′09″N 1°19′00″W / 50.8524°N 1.3166°W