Georgian – Page 2 – WESTGATE CHICHESTER

1-5 Westgate as The Theological College

In 1936 the lease owned by the Church Commissioners for the buildings at the top of Westgate – which included the Coach House and stable yard as well as what is now no. 5 – were let to the Chichester Theological College. This whole block, renamed Marriot House, was used for accommodation with eighteen students and 2 members of staff. There were 20 bedrooms, 4 WCs and 4 bathrooms. The main building for the College was No. 52 Westgate.

Hidden Westgate Histories 10: Demolished properties Southside

The following properties to the south side of Westgate were demolished in 1963 to make way for the Avenue de Chartres and the Chichester inner ring road.

For information concerning the lost buildings to the north side of Westgate, please click here.

History of 52 Westgate

This large Georgian property was to become part of The Westgate Brewery.

The Humphreys

In 1780, William Humphrey (Snr) bought land in Scuttery Fields to build some malthouses. The brewery itself was installed on the adjoining site, where today’s no. 52 had stood as a dwelling house since about 1750: the date inscribed on the building is 1751.

History of 48 Westgate

This house was for many years the head brewer or brewery manager’s house and called Brewery House to this day. The following fascinating and very valuable account by a resident of her life in this property, is quoted with permission from the CLHS magazine ‘Chichester History’, no. 23, p41

THE SLOE FAIR ‘SQUIRTERS’ by Ruth Bagnall (née Randell)

” I was born in 1912 at the Brewery House (then number 31 Westgate, Chichester), as my father was Head Brewer at Henty’s Brewery. It was a pleasant Georgian house, with gardens at one side, and backing onto the brewery yard. The front door of the house opened straight onto the pavement.

History of 38 Westgate

More on the Holts. See the entries for nos. 16, 20 and 36 Westgate to complete the picture

As previously described, John Ogburn Holt, who had lived at nos. 7&9 Westgate, acquired a number of properties on Westgate which he let, of which this was one. He signed a lease on 11th August 1896 for no 35 (old number) for £200, including:

History of 36 Westgate

This is the only house on the street that has carried the same number under both systems. It has always been no. 36.

Residents

The Holt family lived in this house for more than 70 years.

History of 28 Westgate

This is a narrow house with a third storey, so the roof line is higher than its neighbours. It is an infill property, built at some time after 1642 in the gap between nos. 26 and 30. Not much else is known about the building at the moment.

History of 22 Westgate

See more specific data on conjoined nos. 22-24 here and here.

Alan Green in his book on Georgian Chichester writes:

“This is intertwined with no. 24. The smaller of the two is no. 24, which is timber framed and under the same roof as no. 26 to the west.

History of 20 Westgate

More is currently known of the former occupiers of this property than of the building itself, with a strong connection to local family, the Holts.

John Ogburn Holt Snr. had been born in Chichester on 9th April 1846 at 36 Westgate. By 1891 he was living at number 20 (then 44). In the house with him were his wife Elizabeth also 45, and his children John Ogburn Jnr. (9), twins William George and Emma (3), and Lizzie Helen Mary (1). By 1901 he had moved to 9+11 Westgate over the road.

Hidden Westgate Histories 9: Demolished properties Northside

As detailed in Hidden Histories no 8, properties 2-10 were demolished in 1963

Number 8

James JEFFERIES was a private, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers. 29th Division when he was killed in action on 15.7.17. In 1911, he was living with his wife Sarah at no. 52 Westgate – the old number, which became 8 and was then demolished in 1963. He was employed as a Hopman at the Brewery. He is buried in the Bard Cottage Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium but memorialised on his wife Sarah’s gravestone, plot 15 in the churchyard of St James’ Church in Birdham. His name is on St Bartholomew’s church war memorial, now the Chichester City Arts Centre.