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ST ANDREWS CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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The remains of a Henrician artillery castle, built in 1543-4 for Henry VIII as part of his coastal defences against the threat of French and Spanish invasion. It was built on the Hamble foreshore to protect the Solent. In 1642 the castle was taken by Parliamentary forces who dismantled it and it was not recommissioned.
The castle was probably a three-tier fort consisting of a high rectangular tower or keep with a lower semi-circular bulwark or gun tower with parapets and a gun platform. It was surrounded by a moat. A survey of 1595 indicated that lighter carriage-mounted ordnance was positioned on the tower and the gun platform had two larger iron culverines.
All that remains of the castle are fragments of masonry and a break-water on the Hamble shore line.

DETAIL

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MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES

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(SU 47900599) 'At Hamble Point there formerly stood a castle'. (1)

In 1627 at 'St. Andrew's Point fortress, the fee of the captain and soldiers came to #85 3 4d (2). The earliest example of the revived industry of brickmaking into Hants 'are those bricks in the ruined foundation of St. Andres's castle or fort, at Hamble, which we know was built by Henry VIII (3). In July 1574, an account of the defensive strength of the county (6) mentions 'the castle of St. Andrew's Netley (4). (2-7)

At the indicated site two short stretches of stone blocks mortared together may be seen. They run out to sea from just above high tide mark for a length of c 10m. and are slightly curved forming two segments of a circle c 30m. in diameter. The shingle covers all but the top-most stones. Other debris nearby includes a piece of vaulted brickwork but the bricks appear modern.

There is much wartime debris on this beach and in the eroded face of the shore-line may be seen much brick and tile but all
apparently modern.

It would appear possible that the fragments of stone wall are
from this castle but no definite opinion can be given. (8)

A fragment of Bellarmine were (the neck and handle) was found at this site. (9)

A stretch of mortared walling survives and has been surveyed at 1:2500 at SU 47900599. 20.0m to the E a few random blocks of worked stone lie in the sand but no trace of the second stretch of walling observed in 1955 could be located. (10)

St. Andrew's Castle was built just before 1544 as part of the
Solent defences. Investigation on the shore revealed traces of masonry, a moat and a break-water on sea-wall. (11)

The castle was probably built in 1543-4 at the same time as Netley and Southsea Castles, or perhaps a little earlier. A survey of 1595 shows that there was a round tower for the lighter carriage-mounted ordnance, a gun platform mounting 2 iron culverines, the heaviest ordnance, within the castle, and a `wall or pier' next to the sea, mounting the medium ordnance. It was very probably like the early fort at Tilbury, Essex, mounting guns in three tiers. It was maintained until 1642 when it was disabled by Parliamentary forces,and was not recommissioned. (12)

Excavations in 1971-2 recovered the plans of some of the defences normally covered by shingle. See illus. (13)

Scheduled. See source for further details. (14)

Examination of the state of defences at St Andrews as elicited from a survey of 1623. (15)

A small artillery castle with a high rectangular keep and a low semi-circular bulwark which contained parapets and a gun platform. It was surrounded by a 25m wide moat. The site was excavated in 1971-2. (16)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) General reference

History of Hampshire (nd) (Woodward and others) 3 Page(s)70

( 2) General reference

History of Hampshire (nd) (Woodward andothers) 2 Page(s)316

( 3) General reference

Collected Papers (1908-11) 30 (Geology & Hants Industries) (T W Shore)

( 4) edited by William Page, F.S.A. 1912 The Victoria history of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, volume five

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)331

( 5) edited by William Page, F.S.A. 1912 The Victoria history of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, volume five

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)465

(6) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

(7) Annotated Record Map

Rec 6" (O G S Crawford udtd)

(8) Field Investigators Comments

F1 WCW 30-AUG-55

(9) Field Investigators Comments

F2 AC 09-SEP-55

(10) Field Investigators Comments

F3 ASP 29-SEP-69

(11) Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society

37 (1981) Page(s)5-11

(12) by H M Colvin ... [et al] 1982 The history of the King's Works, volume 4 : 1485-1660 (Part 2)

Page(s)404, 406, 547-549

(13) Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society

(F G Aldsworth) 37 (1981)

(14) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

Jan-1983

(15) Fortress Study Group Fort : the international journal of fortification and military architecture

6, 1978 Page(s)24-5

(16) Harrington, Peter 2007 The Castles of Henry VIII

Page(s)58

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