Southsea Sea Defences: Work under way to preserve historical gems as 'Theatre of the Sea' comes together

Defensive low stone walls, which were part of the defences of Portsmouth town built about 1667 and designed by Dutch military engineer Sir Bernard de Gomme, have been uncovered as part of the project to create new sea defences near Southsea Castle where the new ‘Theatre of the Sea’ is being created.

To protect the historic wall from damage, the sea defences project team have started encasing it with a strong wall and some hollow blocks, which will be filled with concrete after which the team will cover the historic wall with a protective fabric, before gently filling between the new wall and old wall. A protective slab will then be placed over the top as well as handrails and lighting to make a feature and viewing platform.

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Rusty railings from around Southsea Castle have also been removed by contractor Stonewest, which is also conducting historic stone work repairs to the wall where the railings once stood. When the railings are replaced, they will be in a similar style and will stand on the prom slab rather than the older wall around the moat, in order to protect the wall.

The preservation work continues as the preparations are made to install the promenade above the ‘Theatre of the Sea’ with a base being created which will then be covered with a polythene layer and metal mesh reinforcers, which then will be covered in concrete to create the promenade reinforcement.

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