King Henry VIII built a series of fortifications all along the south coast to protect the country from invasions from France and any other foreign threat. One of these was Southsea Castle which completed construction in 1545. It is said that Henry himself designed Southsea using his knowledge from continental defences, it could be said that he had a real interest in this fortification. One day, the French did arrive and land across the Solent on the Isle of Wight. It was from here that they launched a further attack and the Mary Rose, pride of Henry's fleet, was sunk right in front of the castle. Over the next 400 years, Southsea Castle served Portsmouth well and improvements to her defences were added throughout this time. In 1627 a great fire gutted the central keep to the castle. The only time that it had been captured was during the Civil War and was taken by the Roundhead army. 1759 saw a tragic accident when 17 people lost their life when an accidental explosion blew up part of the castle. From there it was left to ruin until 1814 it was completely renovated and armed again in preparation for war. Later on in the 19th century a tunnel system was added to defend any close invasion to the castle moat. From the 19th century onwards the castle had many other uses including a military prison and a lighthouse which is still used today. By 1960 it was retired by the military and the Portsmouth City Council took it on, restoring it to it's current 19th century appearance. In regards to paranormal activity, there have been a number of reports over the years. It is said that there is a white lady that has been seen walking in the castle, her identity not really known. Previous investigations have resulted in investigators being pushed by an unseen entity and strange scratching noises heard coming from the 'time tunnel' exhibition.