St Bartholomew’s CCAC – Page 2

History of 34 Westgate

This property is the former “Waggon and Lamb” public house.

A recent owner of the house believed that the original frontage of the house was one room back, with a yard in front of the house for waggons to park; or with the road running further to the north than its current course, thus allowing a yard in front of the farmhouse opposite. If this is correct the new front was added after 1642 and probably when the Georgian rebuilding took place.

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.

Hidden Westgate Histories 3: Five Good Sisters (updated)

This article first appeared on 30 July 2016 as part of an occasional series of historical items that relate to Westgate and have been somehow Hidden from History. We are grateful to Westgate resident Rachel Moriarty for a host of new material which has resulted in this much expanded version (May 2017). Recently the church has been sold to a private owner who has respected the graves but removed the crosses and the trees (2024).

Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories 3: Five Good Sisters (updated)

The Road we call Westgate (updated)

Ceremonial Arch at the West Gate 1911, looking towards Westgate — Ceremonial Arch at the West Gate 1911, looking down Westgate from West St. No pictures exist of the original gate.

Westgate is so named as it is the road that left Chichester by the West Gate, an encumbrance to traffic which was demolished in 1773 except for the south pillar which is still standing, complete with hinge, to the left of the Indian Restaurant.

Continue reading The Road we call Westgate (updated)

Hidden Westgate Histories 7: The Westgate War Memorial (updated)

I doubt that many people living on/by Westgate, or walking up and down the street, know that we have our very own War Memorial commemorating the Fallen of the Parish of St Bartholomew.

Suburb of St Bartholomew’s: C19th population

This text is the last in our series about the Suburb of St Bartholomew, through which Westgate runs. It consists of edited data selected from the 19th century censuses for the historic suburb of St Bartholomew (1801 to 1891)

Continue reading Suburb of St Bartholomew’s: C19th population

Chichester & St Bart’s: the Architecture of the City

This text was originally the fourth in a monthly series of five 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 our boundaries, untrammelled by the modern changes that not much more than five years later would come finally to disrupt the millennial harmonies of our cityscape.

Continue reading Chichester & St Bart’s: the Architecture of the City

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 our boundaries, untrammelled by the modern changes that not much more than five years later would come finally to disrupt the millennial harmonies of our cityscape.

The Rebuilding of St Bartholomew’s Church, 1824-32

Following the destruction of the “Round Church of St Bartholomew” by William Waller’s Parliamentarian troops in December 1642, the congregation were without a church for 190 years. Only the burial ground was left but the parish still existed, its vicar and churchwardens remaining in office and the tithes still being collected.

Continue reading The Rebuilding of St Bartholomew’s Church, 1824-32

The Organ of St Bartholomew’s Church

A chance encounter with Alan Thurlow, retired organist of Chichester Cathedral, has enabled us to do some more research into the pipe organ which may still be seen inside the former St Bartholomew’s church.

Details of the St Bartholomew’s organ can be found under Survey E00701 on the National Pipe Organ Register (NPOR), which is operated by the British Institute of Organ Studies. The data is highly technical but contains items of interest to residents’ interested in the history of Westgate.