This article first appeared on 30 July 2016 as part of an occasional series of historical items that relate to Westgate and have been somehow Hidden from History. We are grateful to Westgate resident Rachel Moriarty for a host of new material which has resulted in this much expanded version (May 2017). I doubt that many on… Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories 3: Five Good Sisters (updated)
Category: Historic
A deeper dive into the historical perspectives on our streets
The Brewery Field in 2017
The History This field was part of the Westgate Brewery which produced beer for many inns and pubs across Sussex and East Hampshire from 1751 until it closed in 1954. In 1827 it was taken over by the Henty family who went into partnership with George Constable in 1921. The brewery had been rebuilt in… Continue reading The Brewery Field in 2017
Hidden Westgate Histories 5: The Westgate Cannon (updated)
As many residents will know, Westgate, along with St Pancras, was part of the Parliamentary encampment during the brief siege of Chichester by Colonel William Waller at Christmastide in December 1642, the first year of the Civil War. Christmas 2022 will mark the 380th anniversary of this event. A Divided City In those revolutionary times,… Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories 5: The Westgate Cannon (updated)
The Road we call Westgate (updated)
Westgate is so named as it is the road that left Chichester by the West Gate, an encumbrance to traffic which was demolished in 1773 except for the south pillar which is still standing, complete with hinge, to the left of the Indian Restaurant. This road has been the main road out to Winchester from Chichester… Continue reading The Road we call Westgate (updated)
Westgate’s K6 Telephone Box
Did you know that the red telephone box on the corner of Parklands Road and Westgate is protected, and listed grade II? It was listed in July 1995 by Historic England, sixty years after it had been erected. To look at the state of it, you wouldn’t know it would you? The citation reads: CHICHESTER WESTGATE (north side),… Continue reading Westgate’s K6 Telephone Box
Hidden Westgate Histories 7: The Westgate War Memorial (updated)
I doubt that many people living on/by Westgate, or walking up and down the street, know that we have our very own War Memorial commemorating the Fallen of the Parish of St Bartholomew. Between 2014 and 2018 the nation remembered the First World War and commemorated the sacrifice of so many young men’s lives. Several… Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories 7: The Westgate War Memorial (updated)
The Chichester and Midhurst Railway: Level Crossing
Article adapted from one originally researched and compiled by Paula Chatfield of Parklands RA for her excellent Easter Trail series and re-published here by permission. Before the railway arrived (see 1813 map below), the Westgate/Fishbourne Road was the main road (for foot and horse traffic) between Chichester and Portsmouth. In 1846/7 a level crossing opened… Continue reading The Chichester and Midhurst Railway: Level Crossing
