St Bartholomew’s CCAC – 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.

The West End: who lived in your house?

Due to their fairly recent date, finding information about the properties in the 1930s development of Westgate, and the former industrial sites in the side streets, has proved a challenge. Except for the few that were built in earlier times. The censuses stop at 1921 and we have not trawled the electoral rolls for privacy reasons.

However, we are endeavouring to write up as much of this recent history as is made available. This stops around 1950 to reduce or avoid invading the privacy of current residents.

The road we call Westgate (updated)

This is a comprehensive rewrite and expansion of my original 2017 post, recently undertaken by Dr Richard Brownfield. It pulls together a lot of different sources and is as full a historic description of the street as can be achieved. A major piece of research and a fascinating read.

Westgate is the road that left Chichester by the West Gate leading out of the Roman walls. The actual gate was demolished in 1773 but the south pillar is still standing, complete with a hinge (pintle), beside the Indian Restaurant. Westgate is also used to describe the ancient western suburb of St Bartholomew’s in Chichester, which grew up along the road that emerged beyond the West Gate.

The Chichester Walls and Gates

The Roman army, after landing at Fishbourne in AD 43, set up a camp on the site which is now modern Chichester and fortified it with a wooden wall. The town was laid out on a grid with the main streets North and South Street, East and West Street, which crossed in the centre of the town. Where they met the wall there was a gate.

Westgate Archaeology

This section is edited from articles published by Colin Hicks on the original Westgate Residents Association Website, which were adapted with their permission from an archaeological desk-based assessment prepared by SLR Consulting Ltd on behalf of Chichester College in 2013. Richard Brownfield has very usefully brought these all together, updated and developed them to create a fascinating tour of the history of the western/St Bartholomew’s suburb.

The Parklands Estate

The Parklands Estate lies to the north of Westgate, bordering the back gardens of the houses on that side. It was built on farmland that had belonged to the church; indeed, the land sold in 1878 for the St Bartholomew’s vicarage, which became number 74, was owned by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

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.

History of 23-25 Westgate

Along with no 25, no 23 is one of a pair of workman’s cottages

Roy Morgan writes:

“The house is recorded as far back as 1379 and is also mentioned in 1570. The pair of cottages are recorded in land tax records from 1780 and are shown on Gardner’s map of 1797”.

No. 23 specifically occurs twice elsewhere in the story of this street:

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.