No. 3 of 73 (PAI0889 - PAI0961)

Drawing inscribed in the upper right 'May 23 1826/Blockhouse/Fort/Portsmouth.'

Following the burning of Portsmouth during the Hundred Years' War, money was set aside in 1417 to provide protection for Portsmouth Harbour. A blockhouse was first built on the Gosport side of the harbour in 1431 after authorisation by Henry VI. The defences were upgraded in 1495 and armed with five guns. The blockhouse was replaced in 1539 by an eight-gun battery under the orders of Henry VIII after his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The original fort is believed to have disappeared by 1667 when Bernard de Gomme installed a 21 gun battery for Charles II. However, in 1708 the fort was rebuilt on an irregular trace. Schetky’s drawing was made after the upgrading carried out at the turn of the 19th century, but before the further work of 1845 which form the basis of what remains today.