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 Phoenix Tower |
A Virtual Stroll Around the Walls of Chester 4. The Kaleyard Gate |
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fter
leaving
the
Phoenix
Tower
behind,
we
turn
the
corner
and
head
southward
along
the
East
Wall
which,
from
here
to
the
Newgate continues
to
follow
the
original
Roman
course.
Beyond
the
trees
on
our
left,
notice
how
the
Shropshire
Union
Canal
leaves
the
shelter
of
the
walls
and
continues
on
its
way
towards
the
pleasant suburb
of
Hoole
(where these words are being written) and
on
into
rural
Cheshire.
The
opening
of
this
stretch
of
canal
was
recorded
in
the
long-defunct local newspaper, the
Chester
Courant, of
Tuesday,
27th
December
1774
as
follows: "Near
Cow
Lane
Bridge
(which
you
should
be
able
to
see
to
your
right
from
the
wall)
was
launched
a
large
barge,
called Egerton,
70
feet
long,
14
feet
wide
and
70
tons
burthen.
Immediately
after,
she
proceeded,
full
of
people
with
french
horns
etc
playing
on
board,
under
the
walls
of
the
city,
along
by
the
Phoenix
Tower,
thro'
the
rock
that
has
been
cut
open
at
the
Northgate,
to
the
dam
at
the
end
of
the
canal
now
finished,
being
about
200
yards
to
the
westwards
of
Northgate,
where
several
cannon
were
fired.
From
thence
she
was
conducted
thro'
six
bridges
and
five
locks
now
erected
on
the
Christleton
quarry;
and
afterwards
was
re-conducted
to
Cow
Lane
Bridge".
This
bridge
was
rebuilt
and
enlarged
in
the
1960s
with
the
coming
of
the
Inner
Ringroad,
and
the
Slow Boat Chinese
restaurant
and
shop
development
next
to
it-
on
a
site
formerly
occupied
by
a
timber
yard
and
wharf-
appeared
at
this
time
also.
(This
remarkable
aerial
view-
a
detail
from
John
McGahey's
famous
View
of
Chester
from
a
Balloon-
shows
the
old
Cow
Lane
Bridge
and
its
surroundings
as
they
appeared
around
1855).
In
earlier
times,
the
spot
where
it
now
stands
was
occupied
by
one
of
a
series
of
outlying
defensive
gates,
known
as
the
Cow
Gate,
which
was
removed
after
suffering
serious
damage
during
the
Siege
of
Chester
in
the
Civil
War.
On
our
left,
some
wooden
steps,
loosely
modelled
on
Roman
originals,
take
us,
via
a
curious
selection
of
old
carved stones
set
in
a
wooded
area,
down
to
the
canal
bank.
The
towpath
hereabouts
has
recently
undergone
a
long-overdue
programme
of
restoration
and
resurfacing
and
is
very
much
more
pleasant
to
stroll
along
than
it
once
was.
Trees
have
been
pruned
and
new
lighting
added.
You
should
definitely,
time
allowing,
take
the
short
stroll
from
here
to
examine
the
city
walls
from
the
bottom
of
their
ancient
defensive
ditch,
then
pass
under
the
Northgate
to
Tower
Wharf-
which
we
will
be
visiting
towards
the
end
of
our
Virtual
Stroll.
(Some
interesting
photographs
of
Chester's
canal
as
it
appeared
during
the
1950s
and
60s
may
be
seen
here and you can learn more about the canal a little further on, in the direcion of Hoole and Boughton here)
In May 2003, the aforementioned curious- and rather attractive- old stones were removed by the city council to prevent 'undesirables' from sitting
on them. That perfectly ordinary citizens also enjoyed using them for a picnic or a bit of a breather didn't seem to count for much in the decision.
On
25th
July
1828,
during
a
violent
rainstorm,
some
15
yards
of
of
this
stretch
of
wall
fell
down
into
a
ropewalk
below
and
had
to
be
rebuilt
(in
a
different
style- the
repaired
section
is
clearly
visible)
This
seems
to
have
removed
all
traces
of
the
13th
century
Sadler's
Tower,
the
base
of
which
survived
here
(as
still
does
that
of
the
Drum
Tower,
which
we
will
encounter
later)
when
the
rest
of
the
tower
was
demolished
fifty
years
earlier.
However, John Seacome's Chester Guide, published around 1828, tells us that, "The Sadler's Tower was taken down in 1780; and the abutment, being the occasion of a great nuisance to the residence of Griffith Rowlands esquire immediately opposite, from the number of idle and disorderly characters who were in the habit of congregating there of an evening, that gentleman obtained permission from the Corporation to take it down and continue the wall at his own expense, in February 1828". Griffith Rowlands was a surgeon who practised in Chester and who died in May 1828, a few months after obtaining permission to remove the remains of the tower adjoining his property and before the work was actually completed.
Actually, the foundations of the old Sadler's Tower are said to lie beneath the gardens of the attractive brick cottage we see on the left. Built in the early 19th century, it is the sole survivor of a group of similar houses which formerly stood here and which may just be seen in the McGahey picture mentioned above. Originally occupied by a stonemason employed in the adjoining works next to the canal, it has since been used for a number of diverse purposes, including cafe, massage parlour- and, until recently, as a contemporary art gallery. But, at the time of writing, the premises have recently become home to a ladies hairdressers and, sadly, much of the period charm of the house and garden have been swept away.
Because
of
the
softness
of
Chester
sandstone-
and
doubtless
also
the
destructive
effects
of
warfare-
the
walls
have
had
to
be
repaired
and
rebuilt
at
frequent
intervals.
Major
work
was
carried
out
at
the
end
of
the
13th
and
early
14th
centuries
and
again
in
1555-6,
when
female
labour
was
extensively
utilised.
In
1562,
a
contract
for
maintaining
the
walls
was
awarded,
by
which
a
mason
called
Thomas
Wosewall
and
Thomas
his
son "obliged
themselves
duringe
their
lives,
in
all
things
belonging
to
a
Mason's
worke,
substantially
to
make,
repaire,
maintaine,
and
uphold,
all
the
walls
of
the
city,
finding
all
manner
stuffe,
as
stone,
lime,
sand
and
water,
and
also
iron
and
steele
for
sharpening
their
tools
and
instruments,
and
also
two
labourers
att
such
tymes
as
they
shall
sett
and
none
otherwise
in
consideracion
of
an
annual
fee
of
fourty
shillings
and
a
livery
gown".
The
walls
evidently
decayed
faster
than
the
two
Thomas'
could
work,
for
twenty
eight
years
later,
in
1590,
when
the
son
surrendered
the
contract,
it
was
found
once
again "That
the
walles
are
ruynous
and
gretelie
decayed".
By
1982,
the
inside
face
of
the
wall
immediately
north
of
the
Kaleyard
Gate,
which
had
been
leaning
for
many
years,
became
increasingly
in
danger
of
collapse
and
radical
repairs
had to be
undertaken,
involving
the
excavation
of
the
loose
core
material
and
the
tying
together
of
the
two
skins
of
stonework
with
stainless
steel
rods. As well as ensuring the stability of the ancient structure for centuries to come, it gave archaeologists a rare opportunity to investigate and record details of the foundations and internal structure of this section of the Roman wall. During reconstruction, all of the masonry was replaced exactly in its original position.
Romans
and
Archers
Large
sections
of
Roman
masonry
can
be
seen
at
numerous
locations
along
the
outside
of
the
wall
here-
massive
stones
five
or
six
feet
long
and
belonging
to
the
period
of
the
reconstruction
of
the
fortress
under
the
Emperor
Trajan
around
AD105.
When
this
work
was
finished,
the
courses
we
see
were
situated
half
way
up
the
wall;
over
the
centuries
the
higher
courses
were
lost-
often
removed
for
use
elsewhere-
and
the
lower
became
buried
as
the
ground
level
rose.
The
18th
century
authors
of
the
Chester
Directory,
Barfoot
and
Wilkes,
explained,
"Before
the
present
pavements
were
laid,
all
the
ashes,
soil,
building
rubbish
and
other
adventitious
matter,
being
suffered
to
remain
in
the
streets,
might
occasion
their
present
elevation".
Things
however
might
have
been
worse,
for
they
add:
"The
very
great
benefit
which
the
farmers
find
in
laying
the
manure
collected
in
the
streets
upon
the
land,
has
been
the
means
of
keeping
great
towns
cleaner
than
they
were
formerly".
The
foundations
of
barrack
blocks
and
other
Roman
buildings
similarly
lie
buried
beneath
the beautiful Deanery
Field,
to
our
right.
On
the
outer
face
of
the
great
stones
standing
out
from
the
base
of
the
east
wall,
you
may
come
across
a
number
of
weathered
vertical
and
diagonal
grooves,
as
illustrated
in
our
photograph.
Some
of
these
are archer
marks,
which
were
worn
into
the
soft
stone
by
medieval
bowmen
sharpening
their
arrows
before
the
practice
sessions
which
were
compulsory
in
earlier
times
for
all
males
above
the
age
of
six
years
old,
and
held
on
the
meadows
immediately
outside
the
walls
at
this
point.
These
marks
are
particularly
clear
a
little
further
along,
etched
into
the
massive
Roman
stones
next
to
the
steps
opposite
the Cathedral.
English-
and
Welsh-
archers
were
the
most
formidable
fighting
men
of
the
middle
ages,
and
the
men
of
Cheshire
were
famous
for
their
skills
with
the
cloth-yard
arrow
and
the
bow
of
yew
wood,
one
of
the
deadliest
weapons
of
the
day.
Richard
II's
bodyguard
comprised "2000
Cheshire
archers" and
they
played
a
decisive
part
at
the
battles
of
Agincourt
and
Poitiers.
At
a National
Archaeology
Day event,
held
in
July
1998
at
an
exciting
long-term
excavation
of
a
long-lost
chapel
and
Cistercian
abbey
(and
now
Neolithic and Roman
features!)-
at Poulton near
Chester,
we
learned
from
members
of
the
Welsh
medieval
re-enactment
group Samhain that
the
majority
of
these
archers
actually
used
bows
made
from
shade-grown
elm
wood.
English
yew,
because
of
the
climate,
tended
to
grow
unevenly
and
was
generally
unsuitable
for
the
purpose.
That
yew
which
was
used
had
to
be
imported
from
Europe
and
was
subsequently
very
expensive.
(After
our
conversation,
we
also
got
the
chance
to
try
out
these
powerful
weapons
for
ourselves!)
"The bows used by them are not made of horn or ivory or yew, but of wild elm, unpolished, rude and uncouth, but stout;
not only calculated to shoot an arrow a great distance but also to inflict very severe wounds in close fight"
Giraldus Cambrensis c. 1207
Mwy na un bwa y'w y Nghaer
"More than one yew bow in Chester" (Old Welsh proverb)
As
we
move
on,
we
continue
to
skirt
the
beautiful
Deanery
Field
on
our
right.
Thomas
Hughes,
writing
in
1876,
remarked that
"a
sight
pleasant
to
the
eye
is
that
verdant
mead,
in
olden
time
known
as
the
Green
of
the
Walls". Never heard today, an older name for this area was the Laudamus Field. This would appear to have been derived from Te Deum Laudamus, an ancient Christian hymn, but the reason for the field being so called is unknown.
Here,
on
a
summer
evening,
one
may
sometimes see
a
cricket
match
in
progress,
and
occasional
special
events
are
held
here,
such
as
the
Civil
War
Society's
superb
recreation
of
life
in
17th
century
Chester,
part
of
the
city's
Divided
Loyalties
festival
in
1994
(shown
in
the
photograph
on
the
right)
and, in the summer of 2007, as illustrated below, the occupation of the area by an army of Vikings!
In the 1930s, the great Professor Robert Newstead undertook a major archaelogical excavation on the Deanery Field which revealed the extensive remains of the barrack blocks- home to the Roman soldiers and Centurions of the military fortress of Deva- which formerly covered this entire area. Once recorded and photographed, they were once again covered up and remain beneath the green field to this day. The London Times of 23rd March 1935 reported at the time, "Professor Robert Newstead, of Chester, in collaboration with Professor Droop, of Liverpool University, is taking advantage of the levelling of the Deanery Field, Chester (for sports purposes), to excavate with the object of tracing the foundations of Roman barracks. The time at his disposal is limited, as the contractor for the levelling will soon be burying the foundations now excavated in a layer of soil. On Thursday the excavators laid bare one long section, running for 150ft, of the eastern biock of the Roman barracks, together with the other section of the party walls, transverse sections of two barrack buildings, and part of the eastern rampart. 
Comparatively little time has been given to searching for small relics, but a few objects of interest have come to light, including a series of coins dating from Domitian, A.D. 87, to a small piece dating from about the middle of the fourth century. An interesting series of official tile-stamps of the 20th Legion, long stationed in Chester, were found in the make-up of the rampart. Others are of four types, and some of them are in an exceptionally fine condition".
The article's reference to "levelling the field for sports purposes" is interesting; we're intrigued as to what its appearance would have been prior to this operation.
Professor Newstead had been appointed
as curator of the collections of the Chester Society of Natural Sciences in 1886 and, from 1903, also of the Chester Archaeological Society, later becoming chairman. In the same year, these organisations came together to form the splendid Grosvenor Museum, a visit to which which should be considered an essential part of your time in Chester. He held the position for most of the rest of his life- even during the period 1905-24, when he was also Professor of Entomology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine- a truly 'universal man'. For over half a century, he was a leading figure in the investigation of Chester's archaeology, transformed the description and display of the collections and gained widespread acceptance among developers and builders of the importance of allowing access to their site works to carry out 'rescue' excavations and recordings of finds.
Beyond
the
Deanery
Field
you
can
see
the
elegant
terrace
of
Georgian
houses
in Abbey
Green and
the
towers
of
the
Cathedral
and
Town
Hall,
as
well
as
the
neon
sign
of
the
elegant Odeon
Cinema in Northgate
Street (once red, then blue, now sadly extinguished, as the cinema was outrageously closed down a couple of years ago)-
a
view
that
to
this
day, nontheless,
continues
to
be truly "pleasant
to
the
eye".
Consider
the
Ravens
In 1996, for the first time in centuries, ravens returned to Chester, a pair nesting high up on the tower of Chester's Town Hall, where they successfully raised three young.
These impressive birds, standing 25 inches high with a four-foot wingspan, are the UK's only known town-nesting ravens, aside from their famous brethren at the Tower of London.
Traditionally, ravens became symbolic of Britain as a powerful country. Should they ever fly away, it was said, the monarch would fall and the nation crumble. The Tower's ravens, therefore, have their wings clipped to prevent them from flying away! By contrast, Chester's are the real, wild, thing.
When a raven shall build in a stone lion's mouth,
On a church top beside the grey forest:
Then shall a King of England be drove from his crown
And return no more
Robert Nixon, the Cheshire Prophet
These noble birds may be often seen flying over this stretch of wall or collecting nesting materials in the trees nearby. Witnesses have spotted them swooping upon pigeons in mid-air and returning to the nest with their prize.
Although once common throughout Britain, persecution during the middle ages resulted in their dramatic decline and there are now only around 7000 breeding pairs left in the country.
Ravens are associated with battlefields, where they fed upon the flesh of those killed and maimed in war.The cawing of ravens therefore became synonymous with death and destruction and they were consequently considered unwelcome visitors in towns.
In preparation for their return to the Town Hall in 1997, a video camera was erected on the tower connected to a monitor in the tourist information office far below. However, the Ravens chose instead to build their nest on the tower of the Cathedral- necessitating a hurried relocation of the camera- and where two chicks were successfully raised.
The following year, 1998, the pair, evidently trying to keep the observers on their toes, constructed nests in both locations, before eventually selecting the Town Hall tower, where a batch of six eggs was laid, five of which hatched. Tragically, in early April an engineer installing a video camera reported that the entire brood had died and the parents had disappeared.
A local ornithologist, Dale Miles, commented about the death of the chicks, "It is a classic case of birds abandoning the nest because of a predator, in this case workmen installing the cameras. The council have been very amateurish. They are meant to be experts". The council, predictably, denied all.
However, in February 1999, the pair returned to the Cathedral, successfully raising three young, and at the time of writing, February 2000, they are here again and have built their nest on a gargoyle on the Cathedral's central tower. It would appear that this man-made 'sandstone cliff' has become the noble raven's permanent home.
Now go on to Part II of our exploration of the Kaleyards Gate area...
Curiousities from Chester's History
no. 5
Top
of
Page
|
Site
Front
Door
|
Site
Index
|
Chester
Stroll
Introduction
|
Phoenix
Tower
|
Kaleyard
Gate
II
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