Building record 12000/13 - Chester City Walls - Wall between Northgate and Phoenix Tower

This section of the city walls extends from the Northgate (CHER 12000/12) to the Phoenix or King Charles Tower (CHER 12000/14). It is one of the few sections that incorporates visible Roman masonry (probably dating to the second century. The medieval parts of the wall date to the late eleventh or early twelfth centuries, but were converted to a raised promenade between 1702 and 1708, but have been spasmodically repaired, and are of coursed red sandstone rubble. The wall faces the Shropshire Union Canal in a rock-cut deepening of the former Roman and medieval ditch, and the medieval and post medieval masonry shows numerous repairs. This length of the City Wall is approx 375m long and 2m wide (15). An assessment carried out to investigate the impacts of a proposed breach in the city walls near Rufus Court in 2004 determined that a c15m wide section of the wall did not have any remaining Roman masonry on its outer faces, and this section was subject to intensive, nineteenth century repairs (8).

<1> Simpson, F., 1910, The Walls of Chester, /25 (Book). SCH3255.

<2> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Ormerod G 1882 1/355-6 (Book). SCH1389.

<3> Morris, Rupert H (Rev.), 1894, Chester in the Plantagenet & Tudor Reigns, /232-236 (Book). SCH946.

<4> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /83 (Book). SCH394.

<5> multiple authors, 1977, Excavation Reports and Sites Observed, 75/33 Strickland T J 1977 (Article in Journal). SCH5800.

<6> Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, City of Chester Intra Mural 1998/ 344 (Unpublished Report). SCH4570.

<7> Donald Insall Associates, Chester City Walls Conservation Management Plan, R3251 (Client Report). SCH6603.

<8> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2004, Proposed breach in the City Walls at Rufus Court, Chester, R2533 (Client Report). SCH4587.

<9> Stratascan, 2005, Geophysical Survey Report. The City Walls, Rufus Court, Chester, R3038 (Client Report). SCH5402.

<10> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2010, Remedial Work in the Vicinity of the King Charles Tower, City Walls, Chester, R3042a (Client Report). SCH5407.

<11> Cheshire West and Chester Historic Environment Service, 2011, Chester City Walls: King Charles Tower 2010 Archaeological Evaluation, R3042b (Client Report). SCH6681.

<12> Brock, EP Loftus, 1888, The Age of the Walls of Chester, with References to Recent Discussions (Article in Journal). SCH5571.

<13> Picton, James, 1888, Notes on the city walls of Chester (Article in Journal). SCH6093.

<14> Birch, W de Gray, 1887, On the discoveries made in the City Walls (Article in Journal). SCH6533.

<15> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 470126 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.