Portchester Castle

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Portchester Castle

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Portchester Castle Looking for a fun family day out? Visit Portchester Castle in Hampshire, South East England.
(1794)

It provides the perfect setting for a relaxed, fun, historic day out! The castle’s commanding location has made it a major factor in the Solent's defences for hundreds of years. The most impressive and best-preserved of the Roman 'Saxon Shore' forts, Portchester Castle was originally built in the late 3rd century. An exhibition in the keep interprets the history of the castle and Portchester village, and displays finds excavated on site. The inclusive audio tour explains life in the castle over the centuries.

31/10/2026

Sunday is our final end of season day.

The Castle will be closed until Easter next year.

We still have some price savings on our Black Cherry Mead, Damson Gin, Sloe Gin and our small bottles of Ginger W**e.

There are also some price reductions on some of our confectionary and soft drinks.

We have a new curatorial tour of the Castles Carribean prisoners of war.

The tour is available using QR codes that are available in our shop.

For those with mobility issues we have an 11 minute tour of the keep that will with your visualisation of the interior.

Both of these tours have been provided to us by our supporters at Warwick University.

30/10/2026

Rainbow seen at Portchester Castle today.

I wonder if anybody found the pot of gold at the end of it.

Don't forget the Castle closes this weekend so don't forget to come and visit.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone in their Halloween costumes tomorrow.

And don't forget it will be your last chance to recreate your favourite Monty Python and the Holy Grail scenes.

Don't forget your two empty halves of coconuts.

29/10/2026

Our summer season is coming to an end this weekend.

So this will be your last chance to buy your Christmas gifts.

We have our extremely tasty English Heritage Meads, English Heritage W**es and Liqueurs.

Perhaps some Elderberry w**e with Christmas dinner, followed by one of our English Heritage Meads in the evening.

We have our usual range of children's, toys, crafts and confectionary for all.

Saturday is Halloween so come dressed in your Halloween costumes.

Or re-enact your favourite scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

We look forward to welcoming you all for the final few days.

27/10/2026

Half Term activities at Portchester Castle.

We are pleased to welcome back some of our enthusiastic volunteers.

On Wednesday 28th October the following family events are taking place.

We have four Story Time sessions starting at.

11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00

We also have some craft activities "Knights and Dragons Crafts". Starting at.

11:00
14:30

On Thursday 29th we welcome back Mark for his incredibly popular talks on the Longbow.

11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30

Please help support our volunteers who have worked hard to get these new events up and running.

12/10/2026

A new plaque now stands at Portchester Castle, commemorating the more than 2,000 Caribbean prisoners of war who were held here in 1796.

We were honoured to welcome Caribbean communities, international guests and diplomatic representatives to the castle to remember the men, women and children whose stories are part of Portchester’s history.

The plaque was unveiled as part of a special commemoration organised by St Vincent and the Grenadines 2nd Generation (SV2G) in partnership with the University of Warwick.

It builds on more than a decade of research and forms part of a wider programme with Caribbean communities to explore and preserve this shared history.

16/09/2026

Our volunteers have been busy today preparing a children’s craft activity for Sunday that will run alongside the talks on Richard II.

The talks and craft activity will be included in the ticket price, or free with your membership.

The weather is looking to be dry on Sunday 🤞so why not bring a picnic to enjoy in the Outer Bailey before or after you listen to the talks and see what activity our volunteers have come up with - and how it relates to Richard II.

Why not book ahead and save 15% on your entry ticket? Follow the link to find out more about Portchester Castle and to book your tickets in advance: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/portchester-castle/

11/09/2026

Interested in learning more about King Richard II and his connection to Portchester Castle?

Our volunteers will be running 10-15 minute talks next Sunday, 20th September on three distinct topics at Portchester Castle during his reign: Richard II’s Palace, his wife Queen Isabella, and Richard II’s Kitchen and Cookbook.

The talks will run sequentially from 11am to 1pm then 1:30pm to 3:30pm, with two talks of each topic in the morning, and two talks of each in the afternoon. This means there will be four opportunities to listen to each of the three talks throughout the day and you can listen in any order, making it easier to fit them in to your plans.

10/09/2026

Heritage Open Days at Fort Brockhurst

Heritage Open Days bring England’s history to life through free events each September. The 2026 festival runs from 11–20 September.

Fort Brockhurst will take part on 12–13 September at Gunners Way, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 4DS. Admission is free; parking is free for English Heritage members.

Explore this Victorian fort during a multi-period re-enactment weekend featuring tours, talks, period camps, weapons displays and children’s activities.

Opening times

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September: 11.00 am–4.00 pm; last entry 3.15 pm.

Portchester Castle will also be open at normal admission prices and times.

Join English Heritage to support our work and enjoy member benefits.

Visit the castle shop for gifts, traditional mead, blackberry w**e and end-of-season offers.

https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/273675739120556/

02/09/2026

After the success of Mark’s earlier longbow talks, we are pleased to welcome him back tomorrow for five more 20-minute sessions, each followed by a question-and-answer session.

Visitors are then offered the opportunity to handle adult- and child-sized longbows.

The talks will take place hourly from 11:00 on Thursday 3 September, with the final session starting at 15:00.

These talks are highly recommended for anyone who missed the previous sessions.

Address

Church Road, Hampshire/
Portchester
PO169QW

Telephone

+442392378291

Website

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/portchester-castle/

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