Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle
Hurst Point, Milford on Sea, Hampshire, England
The castle seen from the south-east
Hurst Castle
Coordinates	Coordinates: 50°42′23″N 1°33′04″W / 50.70639°N 1.55111°W / 50.70639; -1.55111
Type	Device Fort
Site information
Owner	English Heritage
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Intact
Site history
Built	1541-44; 1861-74
Materials	Stone, Brick

Hurst Castle is an artillery fort established by Henry VIII on the Hurst Spit in Hampshire, between 1541 and 1544. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended the western entrance to the Solent waterway. The early castle had a central keep and three bastions, and in 1547 was equipped with 26 guns. It was expensive to operate due to its size, but it formed one of the most powerful forts along the coast. During the English Civil War of the 1640s, Hurst was held by Parliament and was used briefly to detain King Charles I before his execution in 1648. It continued in use during the 18th century but fell into disrepair, the spit being frequented by smugglers.

Repairs were made during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars with France, and the castle was modernised to enable it hold 24-pounder (10.8 kg) guns. Fresh fears of invasion followed in the 1850s, leading to heavier, 32-pounder (14.5 kg) armament being installed and new gun batteries being laid out on both sides of the castle. Technological developments rapidly made these defences obsolete, however, and a fresh phase of work between 1861 and 1874 created sixty-one gun positions in two long, granite-faced batteries alongside the older castle. These held very heavy weapons, including massive 12.5 inch, 38 ton (317 mm, 39,000 kg) rifled muzzle-loading guns. As the century progressed, these too became outdated and lighter, quick-firing guns were installed at the castle to replace them.