Huurrst t Casttlle Ke

Eyyhaaven

TheFriends of HurstCastlewas formed in1986toactas asupport grouptothishistoriclocal site,which now belongs to EnglishHeritage. Theday-to-dayrunning of thecastleisthe responsibilityofHurstMarine,while ourregular‘Monday Gang’ofvolunteers aims tocarry outsomeessentialmaintenanceas well as workingon projectsthat help to enhancethe visitor experience. We haveabout300 memberswho enjoy unlimited free accesstothe castleaspartoftheir membership.

OurWinterandSummer BBQsatthe castleare always popular andour Fish-n-ChipCruiseto Yarmouth,enjoyed on board Solent Rose as we cruisetotheNeedles (weatherpermitting),is always asuccess.Alsoweendeavour to havean evening’sentertainmentduringthe season,in theGarrisonTheatre, originally setupby the castlegarrisonand usedby ENSA duringWWII fromaround 1939.Asfaras we know it is the only suchtheatreinthe UK stillinuse today. TheTudorpartofthe castlereopened atthe beginningofJunebutsadly,for thetimebeing, theEastand West wingsremainclosed tothe publicforongoingrepairs by EnglishHeritage, includingrestorationworkonthe outerwalls.

Ifyouwould liketobecomea member of The‘Friends’,andbea part ofthehistory of HurstCastle, please emailour membership secretary, TriciaHayne (trjhayne@gmail.com),who would behappyto send youmoreinformationand amembership form.