We were delighted to play at the Portsmouth Square Tower last week for the wedding of Carolyn and her fiance.
Some of us had played at the Square Tower before, but a couple of us hadn’t and it was lovely to play at a venue that is so local to us and a real landmark on the Southsea Seafront.
The History Bit
The tower was built in 1494 as part fortifications and as a home to the governor of Portsmouth. In 1584 it was converted to a gunpowder store, the governor moving residence next to the Garrison Church. At the time of the royalist surrender of Portsmouth at the end of the Siege of Portsmouth during the English Civil War 1200 barrels of gunpowder were stored in the tower.[1]The royalists were able to use the threat of detonating the store as a bargaining chip during the negotiations leading up to the surrender.[1] In 1779 it was converted to a Royal Navy meat store until 1850, when this function was moved to Gosport. The tower was manned during World Wars and was purchased by Portsmouth City Council in 1958-1960.
That’s nicked from Wikipedia…
Why we love the Portsmouth Square Tower
We love playing at venues that have so much history and local interest attached to them, and I guess that’s why Carolyn & Alan selected it as their venue for their ceremony and reception drinks.
The wedding was quite a military affair, with lots of uniforms and impressive displays of swordmanship!
The staff at the Square Tower are working hard to create a memorable venue and sense of occasion despite the fact that there is currently significant renovation works happening at the Tower. We were so impressed that despite this, we were still offered a cup of tea on arrival (a venue always gets a big tick from us if this happens!!)