Today's pictures are linked to yesterday's blog from Portchester Castle. The first two pictures are of a wooden jetty. I particularly like the perspective in the second photo. As a kid I would catch crabs and small fish from this jetty and in the moat.
The third picture is of the castle keep framed in the gateway of the 12th Century Priory Church which sits in the Inner Bailey of the castle. I have attended weddings and funerals in this church.
The final picture is looking across the water to the Historic Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth. It is just possible to make out several naval ships and by enlarging the picture it is possible to see the mast of Nelson's flagship HMS Victory.
Over the next few days I am going to post pictures of a couple of castles.
Today I have selected a few images from Portchester Castle in Hampshire which is a place I used to visit often as a child. I spent many Saturdays running in the moat and walking the dog with my grandad before going to his local and having a glass of lemonade and a bag of crisps in the beer garden.
The first picture is of the Norman Keep which is the newest part of the castle, during the Napoleonic Wars the keep was used as a Prison for French Prisoners of War. There are great views from the top of the keep if you are brave enough to climb the narrow spiral stairs, which I did this summer for the first time in many years and it was really memorable.
The second picture is of the sea gate in the Roman wall and the third image is of the gate into the main living area of the castle below the keep, it is accessed via a bridge across the inner moat. Visiting the castle has become a bit of a tradition or even pilgrimage for me and I love to share this special place.
Tomorrow I will share a few more images from Portchester and over the weekend I will focus on a different type of castle, there's a lot to look forward to...
