England Guide
Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
Portchester Castle
Opening time: Daily: April– Sept 10am–6pm; Oct– March 10am–4pm
Price: £4.20
Address: 6 miles northwest of the centre, just past the marina development at Port Solent
Built by the Romans in the third century, the fortifications of Portchester Castle boast the finest surviving example of Roman walls in northern Europe – still over twenty feet high and incorporating some twenty bastions. The Normans felt no need to make any substantial alterations when they moved in, but a castle was later built within Portchester's precincts by Henry II, which Richard II extended and Henry V used as his garrison when assembling the army that was to fight the Battle of Agincourt. Today its grassy enclosure makes a sheltered spot for a congenial game of cricket or a kickabout with a football.