Building record 12000/15 - Chester City Walls - Wall between Phoenix Tower / King Charles Tower and Kaleyard Gate

This section of the city walls extends from the Phoenix Tower (CHER 12000/14) and the Kaleyard Gate (CHER 12000/17) and is one of the few sections of the walls that have visible Roman components. Like the rest of the medieval northern wall, it dates to the late eleventh or early twelfth century, but was adapted for use as a promenade between 1702 and 1708. The medieval and later stonework has been subject to extensive repair at various times. This section of wall in this item is approximately 365m long and 2m wide, with a 14-course outer face. What is thought to be an eighteenth century flight of 11 steps, five of which being winders, with a simple wrought-iron rail links to Abbey St.(CHER 12000/15/2) is found to the wall just north of Kaleyard Gate (8). During restoration work carried out in 1989 (ECH4273), the inner face of at least part of this section of walling was found to not have been built over a solid foundation, but was resting on the top of the remains of the Roman rampart, which caused subsidence that required several attempted repairs. At that time, grout that had previously been pumped in to fill voids in the core was removed, a section of the wall was systematically dismantled, and pieced back together in a corrected state (15). In the process, sections of Roman masonry, medieval work and Victorian period repairs were identified. While two small trenches were excavated into the fabric of the tower (CHER 12000/14) and of the adjacent section of the city wall in 2010, some information on the makeup and construction of the tower was gained (8). A partially surviving sandstone slab surface of uncertain date was recorded below the internal floor level of the tower, and several episodes of repair and surface creation were identified within the walkway of the adjacent stretch of wall, demonstrating that its height had been raised throughout the medieval and post medieval periods, and the width of the wall at this location was widened, probably during the eighteenth century (16).

<1> Simpson, F., 1910, The Walls of Chester, /30 (Book). SCH3255.

<2> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /155 (Book). SCH3078.

<4> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /93 (Book). SCH394.

<5> Morris, Rupert H (Rev.), 1894, Chester in the Plantagenet & Tudor Reigns, /245 (Book). SCH946.

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

<8> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 470123 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<9> Brock, EP Loftus, 1888, The Age of the Walls of Chester, with References to Recent Discussions (Article in Journal). SCH5571.

<10> Earwaker J P, 1888, The Recent discoveries of Roman remains found in repairing the North wall of the city of Chester (Article in Journal). SCH6095.

<11> Strickland, T.J., 1984, The defences of Roman Chester: discoveries made on the east wall, 1983 (Article in Journal). SCH5933.

<12> Strickland, T.J., 1996, Recent research at the Chester Legionary Fortress: the Curtain wall and the barrack veranda colonnades (Article in Journal). SCH6065.

<13> Grosvenor Museum, 1988, Grosvenor Museum Excavation section: Current Activities & Upcoming Sites (Unpublished Report). SCH6282.

<14> LeQuesne C, 1999, Excavations at Chester: The Roman and Later Defences Part I (Monograph). SCH6156.

<15> Chester Archaeology, 1993, Chester City Walls (East) - 1993 Interim Report, R2680 (Client Report). SCH4787.

<16> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2010, Remedial Work in the Vicinity of the King Charles Tower, City Walls, Chester, R3042a (Client Report). SCH5407.

<17> Cheshire West and Chester Historic Environment Service, 2011, Chester City Walls: King Charles Tower 2010 Archaeological Evaluation, R3042b (Client Report). SCH6681.

<18> Chester Archaeology, 1988, Defences of Roman Chester: Discoveries made on the East Wall, 1988. North of the Kaleyard Gate (Unpublished Report). SCH6621.

<19> multiple authors, 1983, Excavation Reports and Sites Observed (Article in Journal). SCH5810.