Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle is an artillery fort established by Henry VIII on the Hurst Spit in Hampshire, England, between 1541 and 1544. It formed part of the king's Device Forts coastal protection programme 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 1649. It continued in use during the 18th century but fell into disrepair, the spit being frequented by smugglers.

Repairs were made during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars with France, and the castle was modernised to enable it to 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 As the century progressed these too became outdated, and lighter, quick-firing guns were installed at the castle to replace them.

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Hurst Castle staat op plaats 1.135 van 5.793 in de bekendheidsranglijst van deze atlas en op plaats 95 van de 182 die de atlas in Engeland in kaart brengt. Gebouwd in 1541, en daarmee ouder dan 46% van de gedateerde bouwwerken in de atlas — een van de 495 bouwwerken in de atlas die uit de 16e eeuw stammen. Zie hoe dat zich verhoudt in de kastelenstatistiek.

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