Monument record 12000/9 - Chester City Walls - Morgan's Mount (Raised Platform)

Morgan's Mount is a rectangular watch tower, originally medieval in date but currently post-medieval in outward appearance. It is comprised of a chamber on the walls with an open platform above, reached by a short flight of steps (CHER 12000/9/1) (1). It is said to have been named after Captain William Morgan, or after his son Edward, as both are supposed to have commanded a Royalist gun battery that was mounted on the tower (2). It is clear that the tower was originally called the 'Raised Square Platform', and that it was the first mount on the outworks sited below the walls in this area. The name of the mount was transferred to the tower by later antiquarians (3). Please see the linked listed building record for specific structural detail. The appearance of Morgan’s Mount today is largely the result of post medieval restoration work, but the masonry also incorporates original stonework of medieval date (see CHER 12000/9/2).

<1> Simpson, F., 1910, The Walls of Chester, /29 (Book). SCH3255.

<2> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /85 (Book). SCH394.

<3> Ward, S. W., 1987, Excavations at Chester, the Civil War Siege Works, 1642-6 (Excavation & survey reports), /4 (Monograph). SCH1189.

<4> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /155 (Book). SCH3078.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ46NW26.4/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

<6> Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, City of Chester Intra Mural 1998/128 (Unpublished Report). SCH4570.

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

<8> Cheshire West and Chester Historic Environment Service, 2011, Chester City Walls: Morgan's Mount 2010. Archaeological evaluation, R3100 (Client Report). SCH5480.

<9> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2012, Structural repairs and consolidation work at Morgan's Mount, City Walls, Water Tower Street, Chester, R3353 (Client Report). SCH6846.

<10> Lewis C.P & Thacker A.T. (eds), 2005, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume Vii, The City of Chester - The City of Chester, Culture, Buildings, Institutions, p221 (Book). SCH6522.