| Portchester |
| The one thing Portchester is noted for lies on a low
promontory with the sea on three sides, this Ancient Monument is
Portchester castle and dates back to early Roman times. The old village
of Portchester is near to the walls and there are some interesting
buildings, mainly 18th century, to be seen in Castle Street which has
been made into a Conservation Area. From these six to ten feet thick walls which stand twenty five feet high the ancient Britons first spotted the Roman galleys approaching and here a beach head was set up and this great castle was build which had twenty bastions. Here Carausius who was the Emperor of Britain made this the home of the Britannic Fleet which was the forerunner of Britain's first organised navy. Later after the Romans had departed the Saxons sailed from here with raiding parties. The next foe to arrive was the Normans and they saw that the castle presented strong strategic qualities so they build a keep, chapel and guardroom about half a mile from the walls and the Water Gate was reinforced. From this gate a causeway runs into the creek and you can just make out the sentry post and a stairway. During the Napoleonic wars thousands of French prisoners of war were landed here and taken inland for imprisonment.
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