Residents in 1950 at 1-65 Westgate

House numbering first appeared in the census of 1901. Before this. the identification of plots on Westgate was by reference to the neighbours on each side, which became obviously inexact as they frequently changed.

The 1900 numbering started with number 1 outside the site of the old West gate. This continued with consecutive numbers on the south side of the road until number 30 at the tannery, when it crossed to the other side (31) and continued back to the gate on the north side to number 55. This way of numbering may be found in older streets in Chichester and is known as Georgian numbering. Most likely you will have noticed this in streets like North Street when looking for a shop. The houses further west of the numbered ones all had names rather than numbers. Most of the houses in the western part of the road were not built until the 1930s. 

West Street inside the old gate is another street that still has this numbering, starting at the Cross and going along the north side (different from Westgate) before crossing at the old gate and returning along the south side to the Cathedral.

After the war (39-45) Westgate was renumbered east to west in the more modern fashion of odd on one side (south) and even on the other (north). It started with numbers 1 and 2 by the old gate. These numbers continue on each side, as far as the level crossing. Previously a few houses beyond the level crossing were part of Westgate having been separated off when the crossing was built, but they were re allocated to Fishbourne Road after the war. 

This change of numbers is extremely confusing for historians and persons wishing to find out more about a particular property. That is why on this website the modern numbering is given priority where possible, but also attaching the old number since all documents pre-1900 will be using it.

We are grateful to John Davies for all the work he has done on the numbering of the heritage end of the street, which has changed over the years. These properties run from 1 to 65  on the Southside and 12 to 48 on the north side

John has constructed the table below to help identify which number in 1901 (known as Georgian numbering), and the new (current) numbering which was ordered in 1950, including a snapshot of who was resident at that moment in time.

Please be aware, just to confuse things some more, his list also contains properties which were demolished In 1963. The houses nearest the gate were knocked down for Westgate Fields Road to be built (later made a dual carriageway as Avenue de Chartres). On the north side numbers 10 and 2-8 which had formed the “bottleneck” were also demolished. The numbers then starting with no 12, the pub, formerly the Swan now the Crate and Apple. On the south side, the White Horse Inn and a clergy house belonging to the Theological College were lost. The barn, for many years a shop and at one time called “Ye Olde Toll House”, now an Indian Restaurant, survived.

In 1989 the Theological College was converted to 11 apartments and numbers 5 to 13 on the south side were changed again. All the numbers from number 15 on (The Old Surgery) are unchanged.

Richard Brownfield 2025