Rowlands Castle
The village takes its name from a castle the remains of which are on the east of the village. It was still standing in the 12thcentury as Henry II is known to have spent several days there ‘for hunting and amusement’, but is thought to have been abandoned by the 15th century. Now only the earthworks and a few small areas of wall remain.
There is evidence of earlier activity in the area when the Romans made pottery, brick and tiles. Other interesting historical buildings include The Castle Inn, which was said to be the headquarters of a notorious gang of smugglers; the ancient chapel of St Hubert dating back to the 12th century (now in the middle of a field which is thought to have been the site of a medieval village); Idsworth House which was built in 1852 in the Elizabethan style, and the Church of St. John, built about 1840.
The village today is mostly residential village, with four pubs and a few small shops and a railway station on the London to Portsmouth line.
Rowlands Castle village website (opens in new window)
