Monument record 10870 - Chester Castle (All Phases)

The first Norman castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1070 when he brought his army to Chester to put down a rebellion. The castle site was defended by natural falls on the south and west, and by an artificial elevation on the north. And the earliest fortification would have been confined to the area of the later medieval inner bailey. The presence of an artificial mount on which the original Norman motte may have stood was confirmed by excavations conducted in 1982. The stratigraphy suggested that beneath the stone foundations to the defences of the west range of the inner bailey, was a steeply sloping clay deposit believed to be the top of the motte. During 1995 an archaeological watching brief associated with the laying of new services in the nunnery bailey produced a significant amount of redeposited Roman material which may have made up the fabric of the artificial mound, possibly representing upcast from the original motte and bailey ditch. The stone Flag Tower (CHER 10872/6) may be the location of the original Norman keep (CHER 10871/3) (8).

The castle became the palace of a Norman earldom until 1237 for which very little documentation survives, with the exception of the minorities of Hugh II (1153 – 1181) and Ranulf III (1181 – 1232) when the castle came into the hands of the king. During these minorities a sum of £102 was spent on the castle, and a further £20 on the castle bridge. The location of this bridge may have been in front of the building known as the Agricola Tower, thought to be of late twelfth century construction. Examination of this building has led to the conclusion that it had originally functioned as a gatehouse, with evidence for a gateway in the north wall, which was blocked up in the thirteenth century. On the grounds of the castle’s developing plan and the technical innovations of thirteenth century castle architecture, the square angle towers of the inner bailey (including the building known as the guard tower) were probably erected at the same time as the Agricola tower. Although no direct evidence exists to support this, the sum of £375 spent on ‘the work of the city’ between 1161 – 1162 and may have included work done on the castle, or alternately the £40 spent between 1181 – 1187 may have accounted for some of these additions. The next phase of major development at the castle is represented by CHER 10873 and its sub-monuments, and summarises the largely thirteenth century developments.

When the inner bailey gatehouse was built is uncertain. However, twin towered gatehouses (usually with rounded gate towers) were an innovation of the thirteenth century. At some point after it ceased to be the main entrance to the inner bailey the Agricola Tower had a hall added to its southern side, which had a solar at the southern end and chamber above. A kitchen larger and butteries were also accommodated at the northern end of the hall, with steps providing access to the bailey ditch via a stone arch. These additions may have been undertaken as part of Ranulf III’s improvements, although work undertaken by Henry III is equally possible. Henry III and Edward I used the castle as a base for their campaigns in North Wales, with large armies passing through the city from as early as 1241. Following the annexation of the earldom by Henry III in 1237 the timber elements of the castle began to be rebuilt in stone, signifying its considered importance. Other references to maintenance work at the castle pertain to the rebuilding of the bridge to the keep, which fell down in 1238, a second bridge leading from the castle to an orchard was ordered in 1245, and may have been located in front of the arch by the Agricola Tower, painting of the chapel walls of the Agricola Tower chapel, the construction of the solar and chamber. In 1251 the Great Hall was completed. The building at the southern end of the Great Hall (later to be used as the Exchequer court) was apparently of thirteenth century character, and may have originally functioned as a chapel.

Under Edward I the castle was used as a base for his conquest of Wales, leading to additional requirements from the king for accommodation for his household, stables, and improved fortifications. These works included the rebuilding of the outer gateway and the erection of new domestic buildings for the king and queen. A new outer gatehouse was built in 1293 at a cost of £318, the former entrance was blocked up.

Under Edward of Caernarfon, the roof of the great chapel was recovered in lead, while the chapel in the Agricola Tower was adapted as a repository for the prince’s treasure. The shire court was moved from its place in the Great Hall to a building outside the castle near the main gate, and a new kitchen built in the inner bailey. In 1337 parts of the castle wall began to be rebuilt. There is no detailed evidence for the evolution of the various towers associated with the outer bailey, however Gowestower is mentioned during the reign of Edward I (and is believed to be the western tower of the outer gatehouse) Damaries tower is mentioned in 1328 and the Garderobe tower in 1347.

Little architectural development occurred between these construction phases and the early seventeenth century, with the exception of the function of various pre-existing buildings changing, and continuous repairs to the walls, gate and towers.

During repairs undertaken on the shire court buildings in 1660 a garden was created in the inner bailey for the judges to walk in at the Assize, a garden that appears on Lavaux’s plan of c 1745. During the last two decades of the seventeenth century additions were made to the area of the inner bailey between the guards tower and the half moon tower, which included a new armoury, stores, a storekeeper’s house and a carpenters workshop. This area was subject to detailed survey and excavation between 1979 and 1982, which demonstrated a complex sequence of events between 1686 and 1769. The armoury was built in 1686 and was to be serviced by a Furbisher, later corrupted to Frobisher. In 1691 repairs were undertaken on the armoury, which included re-roofing of the Flag Tower and the Half Moon Tower. Between 1696 – and 1698 the castle housed one of the Royal mints used for the recoinage of William III. An inventory of the equipment issued for fitting out the mint exists, and the location for this was to be in the inner bailey, utilising the Frobisher’s shop. This building is still standing although the upper storey was much altered during the nineteenth century. An account made after the mint had ceased production in 1698 records the taking down of the mint ovens and chimneys. This account also refers to restoration work done in the Frobisher’s shop, which had served as the marking room for the mint.

A report compiled in 1745 on the condition of the castle suggests that it was in disrepair at this time. New batteries were added to the castle, the first on the inner bailey adjacent to the sally port steps, and the second in the outer bailey on the eastern side of the gatehouse. Little else appears to have been done to the castle until the early 1780s when the scheme for the new gaol, involving the demolition of the outer bailey was first mooted.

The architectural history of the castle from the 1780s is dominated by the work of Thomas Harrison. His completed scheme comprised a central block with two flanking winds built over the former medieval outer bailey and beyond. The complex occupied a considerably greater area then the medieval castle. The central block consisted of the Shire Hall, with accommodation for male debtors on the north and women on the south. Behind was the Gaoler’s house, below which was a chapel; this overlooked the felons yard and wards which were built at river level. A drawing shows the gaol river facade wings to have been heavily rusticated. To the left of the central block was the barracks. The large court formed by these three ranges is entered by way of the propylaea. The scheme has been described as ‘one of the most powerful monuments of the Greek Revival in the whole of England. The decision to rebuild the outer bailey was taken in 1784 and in 1786 Harrison was awarded the first premium, the second going to William Cole who was subsequently closely involved with the building work. Construction of the central block began in 1788 and was substantially completed by 1802. Plans for the armoury were under consideration by 1804 and the plans for the barracks were approved in 1806. Work on the propylaea began in 1811 and was completed by 1815.

The nineteenth century saw considerable changes in the inner bailey. In 1817 a fire broke out in the west wind of the Gaol, and local residents became concerned by the general risks of explosion at the castle. At the time there was a proposal to demolish the officers quarters and judges lodgings, which was rejected, but did occur in 1830 when the site began to be used for a gun shed. Following this demolition, Harrison’s armoury, now Colvin House) was converted for use and a new armoury, now Napier House, was built. The ground floor of Napier House was used as an armoury and the two upper floors as additional soldiers accommodation. In 1877, all local prisons were taken over by the government, and the gaol remained in use until 1884 when the civilian prisoners were moved to Knutsford, military prisoners to Kendall. The site of the felons prison was converted into a drill ground with an entrance for guns at the west end, and some of the former cells were used for offices and stores.

The regimental museum was initially housed in the ground floor of Agricola’s Tower, opening in the early 1920s. It moved to its present location in the A Block in 1968. The chapel of St Mary de Castro was reconverted and became a private chapel of the Cheshire regiment in 1922. During the Second World War huts for temporary accommodation of soldiers were erected in various places, and vegetable plots were laid out in the castle ditch. During the 1930s plans were made for a new county hall, to be built on the site of Harrison’s gaol, the building was interrupted by the Second World War and was opened in 1957. In the 1960s it was decided to create an inner ring road, which involved the construction of the roundabout at the junction of Grosvenor St., Nicholas St. and Castle St. The site of the Militia Building was purchased and, after clearance, a new county police headquarters was built. Externally the Harrison constructions facing the parade ground have remained intact, but there have been changes internally to the Assize Court block following the erection of ancillary court buildings in the former prison yards, completed in 1993. Colvin House and Napier House have been vacated by the Ministry of Defence and an alternative use for them was being sought as of 2001 (7).

<1> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, /4/609 (Report). SCH1934.

<2> English Heritage, Information Board in Agricola Tower (Book). SCH1485.

<3> Simpson F, 1925, Chester Castle, A.D. 907-1925, Simpson F 1925 26/71-132 (Article in Journal). SCH5695.

<4> Cox, E W, 1895, Chester Castle, Cox E W 1895 5/239-276 (Article in Journal). SCH5599.

<5> Richards R, 1947, Old Cheshire Churches, Richards R 1947 /101-2 (Book). SCH2309.

<6> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /157-158 (Book). SCH3078.

<7> English Heritage, 2001, Chester Castle Conservation Plan (Unpublished Report). SCH6281.

<8> Ellis P, 1996, Excavations at Chester: Chester Castle the 17th century armoury and mint (Monograph). SCH6159.

<9> Chester Archaeology, 1993, Chester Castle Archaeological Evaluation 1993, R2035 (Client Report). SCH4154.

<10> Chester Archaeology, 1992, Chester Castle Radar survey, R3150 (Client Report). SCH6294.

<11> multiple authors, 1980/81, Excavation Reports and Sites Observed (Article in Journal). SCH5806.

<12> Wilson D & Hurst J, 1957, Medieval Britain in 1956 (Article in Journal). SCH5609.

<13> SNM Pipelines Ltd, 2012, Chester Castle, Chester, Cheshire: Archaeological Excavation (Client Report). SCH6819.

<14> Various, Written Communication to the HER, Tom Welsh communication, 5 May 2014 (Written Communication). SCH3756.