43CE The Roman Second Legion land at Fishbourne and set up camp on the site which will become the palace of Togidubnus, vassal king of the Regni. Later they march inland under the command of Vespasian, probably along the track which was to become Westgate. They set up a winter camp on the flat plain just before the first undulations of the South Downs. They fortify the camp with a ditch, and an earth and wooden wall.
1st Century The camp grows into a town known as Noviomagus Reginorum, with villas, a Roman bath, forum, and amphitheatre, surrounded by an earth and wooden wall. The town is laid out on a grid with the main streets North and South Street, East and West Street, which cross in the centre of the town and where they met the wall at the other end, there is a gate. We are interested in the West Gate or more particularly what happens outside of it. The first thing was a Roman Cemetery, now under the garages of the ‘Georgian Priory’. The track to Fishbourne became known as Westgate. Later, a rather poor industrial suburb with the same name grew up along the road,
Prob. 2nd Century The wooden wall is replaced by a Stone wall and 36 bastions added later for added protection against raiders.
Circa 410-30 The Romans leave Britain.
477 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that “this year Aella and his three sons, Cymen, Wlencing and Cissa came to the land of Britain with three ships.” The Saxons called a group of Roman buildings a ‘ceaster’ (fortress) and Aella renamed the town after his youngest son, which became Cissa’s ceaster (modern day Chichester).
894 A Danish attack repulsed. The town had been fortified by King Alfred as a Saxon “burgh”, using the old roman wall.
Prob. 9th or 10th Century The river Lavant, which had originally run straight down to Pagham, was diverted. It now ran around the south of the town, across Westgate and up to a bridge over Scuttery Lane. It then joined a ditch running down from the Dell Hole, which was where the south end of College Lane is now. The river turned acutely south, under Westgate again and then down to Chichester harbour between Fishbourne and Apuldram.
After 1075 The Cathedral founded by St Wilfrid is moved from Selsey when the Council of London decreed that the seats of Bishops should be centred in cities not in villages.. Completed under Bishop Luffa.
1086 By the time of the Domesday Book, Cicestre consisted of 300 dwellings and approximately 1500 people.
Prob. 12th Century A round wooden church was built on land – now a graveyard – at the junction of Westgate and what is now Mount Lane. The church was called St Sepulchre, although the administrative parish was St Bartholomew. There must have also been a number of dwellings to justify the building of a church.
1216 Chichester is captured by the French during the first Baron’s War.
1217 Recaptured by the English. Chichester Castle destroyed to prevent further occupations.
1239 A forge is mentioned just outside the West Gate.
1526 First reference in records of the Undershill family of Tanners.
1549 First reference to Underhill’s tannery in Westgate.
1642 The Civil War – Weller attacks Chichester and maintains an 8-day siege. In order to create clear sidelines for his cannon, St Sepulchre’s Church is destroyed and the south side of Westgate burned down. The rest is badly damaged. No 19 (a farmhouse) and No 11 (the only house in the street that remains end on) survive, as does the Tannery.
1757 The Westgate Brewery is founded, possibly by Edward Diggins.
1768 Westgate Brewery owned by Richard Diggins
1786 Charles Shippam opens a shop at no. 37 Westgate and (at first) lives over the shop, before moving to what is now no. 27. He has warehouses and a slaughterhouse on site. He dies in 1813 and his wife Anne and sons keep the Westgate business going until about 1860. (Another Charles, the grandson of Shipston Shippam had started up as a grocer in North Street and in 1873 moved to East Street. This becomes the later Shippam business.)
1793 The Brewery is sold to the Humphrey Brothers.
1794 From sale advertisements we can read: “The contents of Westgate House, a substantial dwelling outside the walls” are put up for sale, which include “a full table of Wedgewood ware, neatly enamelled.” This property is current no. 3 Westgate – which had been built about 1750 – and not to be confused with other buildings, including current nos. 52 or 80 Westgate and the Edes House inside the walls, which were also called Westgate House at various times.
1797 Colonel Lyon of Westgate House sold “an exquisite model of a ship”.
1827 The Humphrey Brothers move to No.3 Westgate.
1837 The Brewery is bought by George Henty
1858 Doctor Nicholas Tyacke moves into no. 3 Westgate.
1909 The Theological College acquires no. 52 Westgate.
1918 The Young Lieutenant Edward H Tyacke from no. 3 killed on the Western Front
1919 The College reopens at no. 52 after the war, by Bishop Ridgeway.
1921 The Brewery becomes ‘Henty and Constable’.
1933 George Tyacke (son of Nicholas) dies at no. 3 Westgate.
1935 The Chichester Theological College acquires no. 3 Westgate as student accommodation.
1938 Opening of Chichester by pass reduces traffic on Westgate
1946 The Theological college sells no. 52 Westgate and moves its main operation into no. 3 Westgate.
1950 The houses on Westgate are renumbered. The College buys no. 2 as a ‘Clergy house’.
1955 The Brewery closes.
1959 The Theological College acquires no. 4 Westgate.
1970 Henty Gardens and The Maltings built on derelict brewery site.
1966 Tannery closed.
1963 White Horse Inn and “Clergy House” demolished for construction of ‘Westgate Fields Road’ (Avenue de Chartres).
1985 Theological College sell nos. 3-9 Westgate to Abbey Building Society, who create 11 residential units called “Georgian Priory”.
1987 A large Tesco is built the other side of the railway line and traffic calming measures are installed on Westgate.
2014 Plans are submitted to build 1600 houses on Whitehouse Farm to the west of Westgate.
Richard Brownfield