Calshot Castle one of Henry VIII’s chain of defensive castles situated along the South coast of England. It is sited on a spit of land providing a defence.

An artillery garrison was based at the castle during Elizabeth I reign and the castle was badly damaged by fire. Repairs were made using oak trees from the nearby New Forest, and the castle was once again in operation during the Spanish Armada threat of 1588.

Calshot saw action during the civil war when its cannons were disabled during the siege of Southampton.

The first world war saw Calshot castle again being used for military service, although as just another building in a Royal Navy /RAF base.

The name comes from Anglo-Saxon bourne meaning a chalk stream. It is not clear whether East refers to the settlement to the East of the stream, or if the settlement grew up beside the easternmost stream. The actual stream rises as a spring in what is now a public park called Motcombe Gardens. The stream today now largely runs underground, joining other drainage channels and draining into Princes Park Lake.

Eastbourne pier is one of a few surviving Victorian piers designed by Eugenius Birch, officially opened in 1872. It was recently upgraded to a grade II* listed building in 2009.

The remains of the keep

Pevensey Castle was originally a Roman Saxon shore fort known as Anderitum, built circa AD290. Although it is now sited about a mile from the sea, the original build was on a peninsula surrounded by sea and marshland. The toponymy of the name confirms this. In common with other villages in the area, the ending -ey means island.

The next major occupation was during the Norman invasion in 1066. The castle was used by King Harold prior to the invasion, but left it deserted when the English army had to march north to repel the Viking invaders at Stamford Bridge. Upon landing at what is now known as Normans Bay, the Norman army set up camp in the grounds of the fort. Using the fort as a base, the Norman army pillaged and destroyed the surrounding villages, until they met up with the English army at the well known Battle of Hastings.

After the invasion, a stone keep was erected within a small bailey, within the walls of the existing Roman fort. The keep was largely destroyed in subsequent years, and no record exists as of its original appearance.

World War II gun emplacement

In more recent times, Pevensey castle was called into active service during World War II. As well as housing troops modifications were made to the castle. Disguised pillboxes and gun emplacements were built to be used in the event of an invasion.

Today, the castle is owned by English Heritage. The outer bailey wall is the original wall that surrounded the Roman fort. There is a fee to enter the Norman Inner Bailey.