On a quiet spur of land at the top of Portsmouth Harbour stands a fortress that has been in use, on and off, for the best part of two thousand years. Portchester Castle is one of the finest days out near the city, and the team at Portsmouth And thinks it is far too often overlooked in favour of the dockyard.
Nearly two thousand years of history
The outer walls are Roman. They went up in the late third century as one of the Saxon Shore forts guarding the coast, and they survive today as the most complete Roman walls in northern Europe, still standing almost to their full height.
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Inside that Roman square the Normans built a castle, with a tall stone keep that still dominates the site. Over the centuries it served as a royal residence, a staging post where Henry V is said to have gathered his army before Agincourt in 1415, and later a prison that held thousands of French captives during the Napoleonic wars.
What to see
The great keep is the highlight. Climb to the top and you are rewarded with a wide view over the harbour, the marina and across to the city, which makes the steep staircase well worth the effort.
At ground level you can walk the full circuit of the Roman and medieval walls, wander the wide green bailey and step into the parish church of St Mary, built within the walls more than 900 years ago and still in use. Family trails and information panels help younger visitors make sense of the layers.
It is an easy place to spend half a day, with plenty of open space for a picnic and a small shop for the essentials.
A word on timing from people who have made the trip more than once.
Come on a clear afternoon and save the keep for last, so the harbour view is lit by the low sun as you reach the top.
Bring a jacket even so, because the wind off the water finds you up there whatever the forecast says.
Planning your visit
Portchester Castle is run by English Heritage and sits on Church Road, Portchester, PO16 9QW, on the northern shore of the harbour between Portsmouth and Fareham. It is a short drive or a bus ride from the city, with a train station at Portchester a walk away.
Members of English Heritage go in free, while everyone else buys a ticket on the day or online, usually with a small discount for booking ahead. Opening times are longer in summer than in winter, so check the current hours before you set off.
Few places let you stand on Roman stone, Norman stone and a medieval church lawn in the space of a single afternoon. Portchester does, and it does it with one of the best harbour views in the area thrown in for good measure.
