This is a comprehensive rewrite and expansion of my original 2017 post, recently undertaken by Dr Richard Brownfield. It pulls together a lot of different sources and is as full a historic description of the street as can be achieved. A major piece of research and a fascinating read.
Westgate is the road that left Chichester by the West Gate leading out of the Roman walls. The actual gate was demolished in 1773 but the south pillar is still standing, complete with a hinge (pintle), beside the Indian Restaurant. Westgate is also used to describe the ancient western suburb of St Bartholomew’s in Chichester, which grew up along the road that emerged beyond the West Gate.
Soon after their arrival in 43 AD, the Romans had a road to their garrison camp and landing stage at Fishbourne and subsequently to a magnificent palace for Togidubnus, the British client king, although there is no evidence that this road was metalled. The port moved to Dell Quay, possibly due to silting in the harbour, and there is a short Roman Road from Chichester South gate to Dell Quay. From Westgate there has been a road to Winchester (Venta Bulgarum) from Chichester (Noviomagus Reginorum) since Roman times. The road was eventually extended to the Roman’s important port facility at Bitterne (Clausentum).
On this map by David Stokes, Westgate leads into the dotted line that leaves Chichester on the left. From the medieval period this was the main highway to Portsmouth. The exact route of the Roman road westwards has never been found and modern Westgate or the A259 may not follow the Roman line at all. The road then continues towards Winchester. It has also been proved recently to have continued to Bitterne, on the River Test, beyond the bend in the elbow. Stane St can be seen clearly leaving for the City for London to the north-east. (Missing on this map also is any evidence of the coastal road via Arundel. Extensive LIDAR work in 2017 by Historic England has now revealed details of this route for the first time.)
In 1753 all the eight parishes of the city had been united for purposes of Poor Law administration, and the guardians of the poor were empowered to light the city and for a distance of 400 yards from the walls (roughly down to today’s junction with Parklands).
An extract from Loader’s 1812 town plan showing the easterly end of Westgate and the ‘bottleneck’. The straight road going north is Orchard Street, formerly Scuttery Lane.
In 1762 the road became part of the Chichester to Cosham Turnpike (No. 10). It was 12 miles long with tollgates, which at the Chichester end were possibly at the West Gate and certainly at the entrance to Fishbourne village – a house on that site is still called the Toll House. £12,901 was borrowed to upgrade the road. The turnpike’s writ ran until November 1867. When the railway crossing was built it cut off a small section of Westgate, which remained until after the first numbers were introduced, but in the renumbering after 1945, they were included in Fishbourne Road.
In 1846 The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was extended from Chichester to Havant and the road severed by a level crossing
In 1864 an Act of Parliament authorised construction of the Chichester to Midhurst railway (the third line on the right curving off in the picture on the previous page) by a company created for that purpose. Building work on this line did not start until 1879, after its proposed junction with the mainline was moved to “a point 20 yards west of the Chichester to Portsmouth public highway, thereby eliminating any further inconvenience to that busy road”. There was then an economic downturn, funding failed, and the building was further delayed. When the line was built, the L.B.S.C. Railway Co. who took over only agreed to do so if the terminus was in the existing Chichester station.
1897, a precious eye-witness acount
In about 1897 William Hoare composed an account, in the form of a dialogue, of the changes in Chichester which he had experienced in the course of seventy years. The following text is from a part referring to Westgate, edited to bring the spelling up to date but not the syntax of the time. So, a genuine local voice from the late C19th, it does take a bit of navigation to understand:
“Now I will first tell you about the West district of the city.
You know the straight road from the Tan-Yard to the end of Messrs Henty’s walls just there many years ago was called the Clapt-Gate, just there was a high bank and field facing you if you went straight across that field you came out again into the road just against the house at the railway-gate. That place was then called the Horse-Pond, and very pleasant it was there, for on the left side was a high bank which separated the field from the road, and on the right-hand side was a high foot path and pretty quick-set hedge which separated the nursery from the road. Between fifty and sixty years ago the road was altered as you see it now, part of the field was taken into the nursery and the other part remained for many years as a meadow but of late years there has been a large Villa built the residence of a gentleman by the name of Beverly. [This was the Rev. H.W. Beverley of St. Bartholomew’s Vicarage, now no. 74]
Map of 1751 showing the old route of Westgate (the coloured lines are parish boundaries)
I must tell where the old coach road was many years ago. I have spoken of the clapt gate well just opposite there was a road curved round at the end of Messrs Henty’s wall on the left-hand side it ran round and came out into the straight road, close to the horse pond before you get to the Railway gate, the road was about a quarter of a mile round. The next thing I will tell you of is the Tan-yard which has been there for a number of years it was at that time very open to the view of the passers-by, which was not very pleasant at all times, the Lavant-course ran close by for about 150 yards by the turnpike road and then turned on the left through the field but within the last few years it has been arched over, and that and the premises at the Tan-yard has been much improved, by the Messrs Gibbins which has made a pretty entrance into the town.
This brings one to the Messrs Henty’s brewery, which I will make a few remarks about for it is a place which I remember from my childhood, almost 70 years ago it was carried on by the Messrs Humphries. I remember about 65 or 66 years ago there was a large malthouse burnt down, about 60 years ago the Messrs Humphries retired, since that time it has been carried on by the Messrs Henty, about 25 years ago, there was another large fire this time the old brew-house was burnt down, since that there has been another one built on the latest principles, now supposed to be the finest brewery in the South of England.
This brings one to speak a few words on St. Bartholomew’s Church it was built about the year 1834, the first minister to that church was the Rev. Atkin’s.
Just a word or two on an old custom at Westgate for many years there was a large bon-fire and display of fire-works, on the fifth of November this fire was made close by the road-side which was very dangerous, for there was great traffic at that time as it was in the time of stage coaches and other old fashioned vehicles, but that has been long done away with”.
The original manuscript of this account is to be found in a hard-covered notebook in the County Record Office. This portion taken from an article by Ken Green in “Chichester History”, the Chichester local History Society Journal no.14 p11.
1904 looking east into West Street through the old West Gate (in old Photographs collected by Rob Harmer)
1904: The building next to the old gate – which was at this time Harriss’s shoemakers, became Charlie Hooker’s sweet shop and is now an Indian Restaurant – has often been called the “Old Toll House”, although this is disputed. Possibly this was the first Toll House but was moved when the level crossing was installed in 1846 and the section between the West Gate and the level crossing ceased to be a toll road.
The gatepost with the pintle of a hinge can be seen just beyond Harriss’s.
The lane beside St Bartholomew’s was previously called Church Lane, although in a document dated 1227 it was Cherchescroft. It was renamed Mount Lane after Canon Francis John Mount the archdeacon of Chichester from 1887 to 1903.
1914: Westgate was the main road from Portsmouth (“Chichester Past and Present” by Kenneth Green p.46)
1949: Central Area Proposals from ‘Georgian City: a plan for Chichester,’ February 1949 by Thomas Sharp. New buildings are shown in red. (Digital map source: British Library, published under licence ref No 8288.bb.27 38)
From the 1950s, plans to improve the circulation of traffic around the city and largely exclude vehicles from inside the walls were commissioned by the Corporation. The plan above was produced by Thomas Sharp, a well-known town planning consultant, but was never implemented.
1959: Aerial view showing Westgate, Westgate Fields and Orchard Street outside the northwest portion of the wall. The ‘white’ roads are Parklands and Sherborne roads. (Alan Green Collection)
1966: ‘Chichester: preservation and progress’ by G.S. Burrows. (West Sussex County Council)
Between 1968 and 1975, a similar plan to Thomas Sharp above was designed by WSCC. This was for a double carriageway ring road to be built just outside the walls, with large circulatory systems at the exits from each of the old gate areas.
The proposed Westgate gyratory is shown on the left of this 1966 map. As can be seen, it was a major diversion of the road through Westgate Fields, across Westgate, up the road which is now Henty Gardens (and which was then the entrance to the closed brewery) and back to Orchard Street where the Record Office now stands. This would have stranded the east end of Westgate on a mega-roundabout for ever, much as can be seen did happen to some buildings at Northgate. Only three of these ‘gyratory systems’ were built and are in use today.
The plan received a great deal of opposition from alert citizens, and resulted in the formation of the Chichester Society in 1973, led by David Goodman of Franklin Place, largely because it called for the destruction of a very large number of Georgian and Victorian dwellings. The proposed demolition of all the houses between Orchard Street and the city walls, to enable a double carriageway to be built, particularly concerned the objectors. Eventually they were victorious, and this and the “Westgate gyratory” were never built. New Park Road and Market Way were not dualled either and the eastern gyratory is also less extensive than originally proposed. A major triumph for residents, although the totality of the Georgian suburb of Somerstown east of St Paul’s Road was demolished, except for the pubs.
The infamous West Gate Bottleneck at the mouth of Westgate, photo looking west from West Street. (Collection Ken Green)
In 1962 the offending houses on the north side of the road (Nos 2-10 Westgate) were being demolished to make way for Westgate Fields Road (now called Avenue de Chartres) and a new roundabout.
No 12, the Swan Inn (currently called the Crate and Apple), which was set back from the road line, is now the first property on Westgate, seen here in the middle distance on the north side of the street. The White Horse Inn was pink. (Photo John Templeton).
Another view looking in the same direction clearly showing the city wall and Hooker’s shop, perhaps formerly the Old Toll House. The left hand advertising board is standing against the remains of the West Gate pillar. The White Horse Inn beyond the gate on the south side, and seen in pink in the previous photograph, was also demolished in 1962 to make way for the ring road. (Collection Ken Green)
By 1966 the houses on the north side of Westgate (Nos. 2-10) and the houses and pub on the other side have been demolished and Westgate Fields Road built. The PH on the south side to the right of the West Gate, is now the Chichester Inn and part of West Street.
1979: Map showing the roundabout and the ‘Avenue de Chartres’ now part of the Chichester ring road. (WSRO SU 8504 NE 1979)
1983: Georgian Westgate as seen by watercolourist Peter Iden
In 2025, the 1963 roundabout was remodelled into the Dutch-style, with its priority lanes on each arm for cyclists (blue) and ‘zebra crossings’ for pedestrians. This has delivered generally improved safety for those particular road users, many of whom are either elderly or students and schoolchildren. It does allow cyclists a safer passage from the city up into the Downs along Centurion Way, right at the other end of Westgate, and contributes to safer cycle tourism into the city from National Cycle Network 2.
Richard Brownfield 2025
Sources
- “The Road we call Westgate”. Colin Hicks. August 2016.
- “Chichester History” No 33 Summer 2017. P15.
- Chichester Society Newsletter March 2019. P14 John Templeton
- ‘The History of Chichester in 500 street names.’ Chichester City Council. 2008