Shippams – WESTGATE CHICHESTER

Historic Maps of Westgate

Roman Roads (© David Stokes)

Westgate was not a metalled road in Roman times, although it was an important route to the palace at Fishbourne, onto Bitterne and then Winchester. Note the short road from Chichester to Dell Quay in the south, which came into use when Fishbourne Harbour silted up and the main port for goods and people was moved there.

St Bartholomew’s Church (updated)

THE ORIGINAL ST SEPULCHRE’S CHURCH

Colin Hicks writes:

Originally on the site of the graveyard at St Bartholomew’s on the corner of Mount Lane and Westgate, stood a church that was probably built in the 12th century. This was round with a circular apse over the altar, a shape associated with the Knights Templar, so that the church became known as the Temple even though it was never associated with those militant monks. New Fishbourne church was probably a chapelry to St Bartholomew at this time.

Henty Gardens & The Maltings

The Westgate (St Bartholomew’s) suburb contains not just the main street but a collection of side streets that lead off the main road. This is part two of a series designed to present each of these in their own right. You can read about Mount Lane here. We do re-use material from elsewhere that risks being missed since it is scattered through other articles.

The Brewery

Henty Gardens occupies the eastern end of the Henty Brewery site on the north side of Westgate. This is where the original maltings were built in the 1780s, in the Squittery Fields, with the brewery itself more to the west.

Mount Lane

The Westgate (St Bartholomew’s) suburb contains not just the main street but a collection of side streets that lead off the main road. This is part one of a series designed to present each of these in their own right. You can read about Henty Gardens and The Maltings here. It does re-use some material from earlier articles that risks being missed since it is scattered other postings.

The early history of Mount Lane is hard to identify. It is probable that there has always been a series of tracks leading from the Portsmouth Road into the Westgate Fields and of which the modern Mount Lane is a survivor. Perhaps because a church stood on the corner and the distant memory of a wayside Roman temple persisted.

The Lavant River

In Sussex dialect a ‘Lavant´ is a winterbourne, which means it only flows during the winter. In C15th documents in the West Sussex Records Office it is also spelt as ‘Louente’ and ‘Lavent’. Most rivers start from a ‘spring’ and gather water from tributaries as they flow downhill.

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.

The other branch of the Shippam Family

In our article on nos. 27-39 Westgate, much space was given to the Shippam sausage and grocery business which occupied this site in the 19th century. This was not however the branch of the Shippam family of Shippam Pastes renown. 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.

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.

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.

Hidden Westgate Histories 1: St Sepulchre Round Church

The former St Batholomew’s Church in Mount Lane off Westgate is not the first church to have appeared on this site. The suburbs extra muros of St Pancras to the east and of St Sepulchre to the west date back to Roman times, both housing 3rd century cemeteries within their parishes, with the main one to the east (the Litton), in part where the modern Litten Gardens is on New Park Road. The remainder is under the New Park development and car park on the opposite (west) side of the road.