Haselworth Castle (1545-1556) A
Henrican fort, variously titled Hasleworth or Haselford, was erected on the site in 1545. The fortification was only lightly armed, and is depicted on the Cowdray Print as a circular keep with an outer wall. The castle was abandoned in 1556, only 11 years after construction, as a result of a review by the
Marquis of Winchester. A 1587 map indicates that "Hasleworth Castle beaten downe by
King Philip", potentially in reference to a story about the castle being demolished after it failed to grant Phillip a salute in 1554. Construction again slowed, and after much more controversy in its design and naming, it was renamed Fort Monckton after the now deceased Robert Monckton, and completed in 1789 or 1790, just before the
French Revolution of 1793. The fort was incorporated into the defences of Stokes Bay as an adjunct to the
Stokes Bay Lines; the
Royal Engineers moved into the fort in 1878 to train in the use of
naval mines and later
search lights. In 1879, torpedo experiments were carried out at Stokes Bay and part of this consisted of a mock attack on Fort Monckton. This sham attack was recorded in the
Illustrated London News. The fort was an ideal viewing platform for the observers and members of the public. In 1880, another demonstration of naval warfare took place in the vicinity of the fort. In 1880, the 4th Company of Submarine Miners of the Royal Engineers occupied the fort. They moved out in 1884 to Fort Blockhouse, leaving Fort Monckton as accommodation for the R.E. Militia during the annual training. Anti-aircraft searchlights were located in the fort during World War 1 and an anti-aircraft artillery unit was quartered in the fort during World War 2. Virtually abandoned after
World War II, the fort was however retained by the Ministry of Defence and remained armed until the abolition of coastal artillery in 1956.
No.1 Military Training Establishment (1956-present) Fort Monckton now remains the only fort in the Portsmouth area owned by the Army, as opposed to the Royal Navy. it is occupied by the Ministry of Defence During the
Cold War this included
Stay-behind agents from continental Europe. In his book
The Big Breach, former MI6 officer
Richard Tomlinson states that Fort Monckton is now the SIS's field operations training centre, where both basic and advanced field training is given to SIS personnel, and liaison training with other services including the
Special Air Service and
Special Boat Service is undertaken. ==Armament==