Surrounded by the most complete Roman walls in Northern Europe, the vast keep gives breathtaking birds-eye views over Portsmouth, the harbour and the Solent. See the magnificent 14th century palace of King Richard II and the 12 century Norman church. There is also an interactive exhibition of the story of Portchester Castle.

The Romans introduced a system of coastal defences, now called the 'Saxon Shore Forts' to protect the country against Saxon raids from Germany and Denmark. They were built along the eastern and southern coast from Brancaster to Portchester (Portus Adurni) in the 3rd century.

Recent excavations indicate that the forts were intensively occupied during the time of Carausias a Belgian sailor commissioned to clear the channel of pirates in 285. He appears to have waited until the Saxons had laden themselves with booty before attacking, thus enriching himself in the process. The Romans discovered this and he fled to Portchester to lead a successful rebellion, setting himself up as Emperor of Britain, a title he held until 293 when he was murdered by his assistant Allectus. The fort may therefore have been built or reconstructed to resist reconquest by the Romans.

The fort consists of a square area measuring 210 yards across and encloses 9 acres with twenty feet high walls, ten feet thick, constructed of coursed flint bonded with tiles or limestone slabs. From the front face 'D' shaped bastions project at one hundred to two hundred feet intervals to take ballista (Roman catapaults). Excavations have shown that the Castle site was occupied extensively by the Saxons between the 5th and 10th centuries - probably as a defence against Viking invaders. During the Middle Ages the Great Tower (the Keep) was built by Henry I while Richard II spent £1700 on erecting a suite of domestic buildings (the Great Hall and kitchen) inside the bailey walls between the years 1396-1399. Apart from being a convenient place for embarkation of troops, the palace was close to the hunting in the Royal Forest of Bere. The importance of Portchester declined as Portsmouth grew and by 1441 the Castle was 'ruinous and feeble'. Although the Castle was sold in 1632 to Sir William Uvedale and thence to the Nortons of Southwick, the Crown leased it whenever necessary. Such occasions included the Civil War when it was used to billet troops, and the Dutch and French Wars when it was used to hold prisoners (up to a maximum of 5000 men). In 1926 the heir of the Uvedales put the building in the care of the Department of the Environment and the public can now enjoy a recreation area in the shadows of the ancient walls.

Railway development in Hampshire was dominated by its closeness to London and the need to gain access to the south coast and the Isle of Wight. The expansion of the port of Southampton, and the presence of large numbers of military personnel in Portsmouth ad Aldershot also played a major role, as did the rise of seaside resorts like Bournemouth and Southsea.

One company pre-dominated in Hampshire... the London and South Western. With over 966 miles of route by 1911, the LWSR was a major player, carrying more passengers than many of its competitors. These included the Great Western Railway (GWR) in the north and west of Hampshire, and the London, Brighton and South Coast in the east. Rivalry with the GWR was particularly fierce, especially over the race to the West Country.