Millennium Promenade - The Round Tower and Point Barracks

The Round Tower is one of Portsmouth’s first permanent harbour defences. A tower was first erected here around 1420 to offer protection across the harbour mouth. A second tower stood across the harbour in Gosport, where Fort Blockhouse stands. It was originally made of wood, however this tower no longer exists. The lower part of the surviving stone structure of the Round Tower probably dates from Tudor times; the current height would have been reached in about 1850.

Between 1847 and 1850 all the old buildings that originally stood between the Round Tower and Broad Street were cleared to make room for an artillery barracks.

The arched sections of the wall still standing to the north are the surviving part of the soldiers’ quarters. The previous extent of the building can be seen outlined in the cobbles.

The barracks were demolished in the early 1960s and the area was opened to the public by Portsmouth City Council.

Go back to the Millennium Promenade page.