Tag: Industrial Heritage

The Westgate Brewery (updated)

The following entry is made up of a number of articles about the Brewery assembled from different sources by Richard Brownfield. [Square bracketed numbers and symbols] refer to the footnotes at the end of this post.

From time to time, we bring in a guest writer to add to the content of our website. We are grateful to local historian Alan H. J. Green for his permission to reprint from this article entitled “The Westgate Brewery”, which originally appeared in the Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society Newsletter 137 of January 2008 [*] 

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

History of The Tannery (61-65 Westgate)

Residents

The Undershill family, who turned out to be tanners, are first recorded in the parish in 1526 when they acquire the share of a lease of 20 acres of land with a house. John Undershill is the earliest documented reference to tanning in St. Bartholomew’s when, in 1549, he witnesses the will of John Parker as a tanner.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

History of 39-59 Westgate

Known informally as the Tannery Cottages, nos. 39–59 Westgate form a neat row of 10 workman’s cottages.

Originally occupied by tannery workers, these were bought – probably after 1871 – by the Henty family and used for their brewery employees. No information has yet been found of their construction date.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

The other branch of the Shippam Family

In our article on nos. 27-39 Westgate, much space has been given to the Shippam grocery business which occupied this site in the 19th century. This was not however the famous Shippam family of the Shippam Pastes. That business was founded by a different member of the family but, confusingly with the same name. This article completes the story of the Shippam family but is not of direct relevance to the history of Westgate.

Shippam’s Pastes

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Westgate Timeline

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. 

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Hidden Westgate Histories 2: The Shippam Stables

By an amazing coincidence, the very week that the dray horses came back to the Brewery Field, if only for an afternoon, a resident was clearing the vegetation back in her garden when she discovered several items hanging on the wall.

The first one was this strange item:

Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories 2: The Shippam Stables

Hidden Westgate Histories 4: The Westgate Lavant

Most residents are familiar with our winterbourne, the River Lavant. Winterbourne because it is a seasonal stream that comes down from the Downs, filtered out of the chalk after the Winter rains.

Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories 4: The Westgate Lavant

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 1811 to become the largest in Chichester.

Continue reading The Brewery Field in 2017

error: Content is protected !!