Calshot Castle, Southampton

Name: Calshot Castle
Address: Calshot Road, Southampton, SO45 1BR, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 23 8089 2077

#12 among attractions in Southampton

Top attraction, Forts and castles

Gallery (4)

Map

Map

Gallery

Facts and practical information

Calshot Castle is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII on the Calshot Spit, Hampshire, England, between 1539 and 1540. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire and defend Southampton Water as it met the Solent. The castle had a keep at its centre, surrounded by a curtain wall and a moat. Initially heavily armed, it had a garrison of 16 men and as many as 36 artillery guns. The castle continued in use for many years, surviving the English Civil War intact and being extensively modernised in the 1770s. During the 19th century, Calshot Castle was used by the coastguard as a base for combating smuggling. In 1894, however, fresh fears of a French invasion led to it being brought back into use as an artillery fort: a large coastal battery was constructed alongside the older castle and a boom built across Southampton Water, controlled from the castle. ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 50°49'7"N, 1°18'27"W

Address

Calshot RoadFawley, Blackfield and LangleySouthampton SO45 1BR United Kingdom

Contact

+44 23 8089 2077

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Southampton

Day trips

Calshot Castle – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Calshot Activities Centre, Marine Matters, Cowes Castle, Mercury Marshes.

~290 ftS
Ski area, Watersports, Outdoor activities
Calshot Activities Centre, New Forest
2 min walk • Calshot Activities Centre is located on Calshot Spit near Southampton. Indoor facilities include the oldest indoor velodrome in Britain, a dry ski slope and a climbing wall.
2.4 miN
50°51'11"N • 1°18'18"W
Marine Matters, Locks Heath
61 min walk • Sailing, Outdoor activities, Marina
3.6 miS
Forts and castles
Cowes Castle, Cowes
92 min walk • Cowes Castle, also known as West Cowes Castle, is a Device Fort in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Originally built by Henry VIII in 1539 to protect England against the threat of invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, it comprised a circular bastion, flanking wings and a keep, and in 1547 it housed 17 pieces of artillery.
3.3 miN
Park
Mercury Marshes, Hamble-le-Rice
85 min walk • Mercury Marshes is a 6.4-hectare Local Nature Reserve in Hamble-le-Rice in Hampshire. It is owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire Countryside Service.
3.7 miNW
Park, Church
Royal Victoria Country Park, Southampton
95 min walk • The Royal Victoria Country Park is a country park in Netley, Hampshire, England, by the shores of Southampton Water. It comprises 200 acres of mature woodland and grassy parkland, as well as a small shingle beach.
2.4 miN
Archaeological site
Hamble Common Camp, Hamble-le-Rice
62 min walk • Hamble Common Camp is the site of an Iron Age promontory hillfort located in Hampshire. The fort is located on Hamble common on a peninsula of land formed between Southampton Water and the River Hamble.
3.2 miN
Hiking, Hiking trail
Hamble Rail Trail, Hamble-le-Rice
83 min walk • The Hamble Rail Trail is a 4.5-mile-long circular footpath in Hampshire, southern England, comprising a path which runs alongside a disused railway track that connects Hamble-le-Rice to Royal Victoria Country Park and looping back via a section of the Solent Way footpath.
1.2 miSW
Tower, Vernacular architecture
Luttrell's Tower, New Forest
30 min walk • Luttrell's Tower is a three-storey stuccoed yellow brick folly south of Southampton, Hampshire, England, near the village of Calshot. It has a six-storey circular stair turret extending above the rest. It stands on the shore of the Solent, close to the grounds of Eaglehurst House. It is owned by the Landmark Trust.
~1990 ftW
Park
Calshot Marshes, New Forest
10 min walk • Calshot Marshes is a 51.1-hectare Local Nature Reserve near Calshot, at the junction of The Solent and Southampton Water in Hampshire. It is owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire Countryside Service.
4 miS
50°45'41"N • 1°17'48"W
Cowes Yacht Haven, Cowes
102 min walk • Sailing, Marina
3.9 miS
Church
St Mary the Virgin Church, Isle of Wight
99 min walk • St Mary the Virgin Church, Cowes is a Church of England parish church in Cowes, Isle of Wight. It is in Church Road, next to Northwood House.