Theological College – 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 Theological College

Following extensive research by Dr Brownfield, here is a full description of the history of the Theological College, mostly taken from documents at the WSCC Record Office

The Story

The College was founded by William Otter in July 1838, the first such Diocesan College in England. The first Principal was Charles Marriott, of Oriel College, Oxford. He was a member of the Tractarian Society. The first donation for the college, of £50, was from W. E. Gladstone.

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 [*]

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.

History of 19 Westgate

The first half of this article is written by Richard Brownfield, with certain sections copied from ‘The Building of Georgian Chichester’, by local historian Alan Green and with his kind permission.

This Farmhouse was “damaged in the siege of Chichester 1642.”

History of 15 Westgate

Newly built in 1730, this site had already been occupied by a house, a woodhouse, and a slaughterhouse. A malthouse was added by 1775.

In 1841 James Gates, a Yeoman Farmer aged 65, was living here. In 1861 another James Gates aged 59, a retired butcher who had had a shop in East Street was here. Presumably he was the son of the previous owner. In 1871 he is recorded as an alderman aged 67.

The History of 7-9 Westgate

This article concerns Nos 7 and 9 Westgate, which was a whole house previously known as no.4 and then no. 11 Westgate from 1950 – 1987.

The numbering of the houses in Westgate started in about 1900 and it has been a confusing experience for anyone trying to identify which property is which. In the 1901 census, this house is confirmed as 4 Westgate, a numbering which continued until the 1939-45 war. After the war, the whole street was renumbered, with odd numbers to the south side, and the house became no.11 Westgate. It was then divided into two in 1988 and renumbered at the same time as the rest of “The Georgian Priory” development, to become numbers 7 and 9.

3-9 Westgate as The Georgian Priory

This is a residential development of 11 units originally converted in 1985/6 from the buildings of the old Theological College in Westgate by the Abbey Building Association Ltd. (which became the Abbey National Building Society). It is run by a resident’s management company.

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.