Mr Monkey went into the keep to see an exhibition about the history of the castle. He studied a model showing the castle as it was originally built according to Henry VIII's design, which apparently included heavy cannon firing left and right but not directly out to sea. The fort was built in six months in 1544 at a cost of at least £3000. In 1545 Henry came to inspect the building and was able to see his warship, the Mary Rose, sink when it should have been fighting a French fleet. Mr Monkey examined a reproduction of a copy of a Tudor wall painting* showing the castle, and spotted the mast tops of the Mary Rose just sticking out of the water.
* The original was lost in 1793 when Cowdray House burned down.
Return to Mr Monkey at Southsea Castle
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey.