We are very lucky that local historian Ken Green has given us permission to reproduce his collection of historic photos of Westgate and West Street for the delight and education of our residents. Please do not copy these photos for commercial purposes. You will have seen the photo of the gate that was erected for… Continue reading Chichester Programme for the Diamond Jubilee of 1897
Category: Historic
A deeper dive into the historical perspectives on our streets
Chichester & St Bart’s: Walls, Gates and a Ditch
This text is about the suburb of St Bartholomew’s Without in the wider context of the development of the City of Chichester. It is drawn from an edited extract of a 1935 publication (details below). As such it has kept a centuries-old way of talking about Chichester where the city walls, gates, ditch and parishes defined… Continue reading Chichester & St Bart’s: Walls, Gates and a Ditch
Chichester & St Bart’s: the Municipal Area
Prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066 the municipal area of Chichester is not known. From the late 9th century, Alfred had founded his network of Saxon burhs. These lay at the centre of Alfred’s reformed military defence system and were distributed at strategic points throughout the kingdom. Many were former Roman towns, the largest of which was… Continue reading Chichester & St Bart’s: the Municipal Area
Old Maps of Westgate and Chichester 1
Since the launch of the website we have sought to develop our historical archive. Here is a collection of old maps upon which figures Westgate and its surrounding streets in one form or another. 2007 – I know, we are starting with a recent map, but there are no printed Roman maps in existence of… Continue reading Old Maps of Westgate and Chichester 1
Chichester & St Bart’s: The Early Settlement
The extent of Chichester has altered at various times. The settlement was first established as a winter fort for the Second Augustan Legion under Vespasian (the future emperor) shortly after the Roman invasion in AD 43. Like all Roman walled towns, Noviomagus Reginorum was divided into four quarters by two main roads or streets crossing… Continue reading Chichester & St Bart’s: The Early Settlement
Medieval Westgate
Image courtesy of Chichester Web. This article forms the third in a series on the archaeology of Westgate and is adapted with their permission from an archaeological desk-based assessment prepared by SLR Consulting Ltd on behalf of Chichester College in 2013. The numbers on the map refer to objects mentioned in the text below that… Continue reading Medieval Westgate
The Gates
Some controversy rages about what Chichester’s West Gate actually looked like. It was our view initially that this was the gate itself, taken from an 18th century watercolour, but this is disputed by the team at the West Sussex county archives who, in spite of the title at the bottom, believe it must be of… Continue reading The Gates
The Romans and Westgate
This article forms the second in a series on the archaeology of Westgate and is adapted with their permission from an archaeological desk-based assessment prepared by SLR Consulting Ltd on behalf of Chichester College in 2013. The numbers on the map refer to objects mentioned in the text below that have been found and registered in the Historic Environment… Continue reading The Romans and Westgate
Prehistoric Westgate
This article forms the first in a series on the archaeology of Westgate and is adapted with their permission from an archaeological desk-based assessment prepared by SLR Consulting Ltd on behalf of Chichester College in 2013. The numbers on the above map refer to objects mentioned in the text below that have been found and registered in the Historic… Continue reading Prehistoric Westgate
Historic images
Click on each image for a closer look. The olde West Gate itself? According to the caption, looking down West Street in 1782 from outside the walls, or is it? Historians are of the view that this is in fact Eastgate with the City prison on top, demolished in 1783. The other gates were demolished… Continue reading Historic images