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Northgate part III

A Virtual Stroll Around the Walls of Chester 2. The North Wall

Phoenix Tower

ere is the view, as seen on a particularly snowy day

Roman Wall
As you look out from the parapet, you will often observe people standing on the bridge immediately outside the Northgate, peering through the railings at the spectacular masonry of the North Wall and the canal running far below. You should take the trouble to join them before we move on- especially in springtime, when the entire length of the wall base is covered with a mass of daffodils. A stroll along the newly-resurfaced canal towpath below is also highly recommended at some time during your visit- access is through an archway in the wall close to Morgan's Mount or via the wooden steps near the Kaleyard Gate.
The masonry immediately below the parapet- best viewed from the aforementioned bridge or from the towpath- deserves your close attention as it is the finest surviving stretch of actual Roman stonework in the entire circuit; laid in place, amazingly, around sixteen hundred years ago- c. 90 to 120 AD- and bearing witness to the skill of the Legionary engineers in utilising only the best available stone in the construction of their defences.
Our photograph shows the view from the bridge outside the Northgate. On the left runs the Shropshire Union Canal and its towpath. Above it rises the escarpment of Triassic sandstone upon which the old fortress was built. The City wall is built on top of this- you can clearly see the original Roman portion standing proud of the later masonry.

It must regretfully be said that this marvellous vista has been considerably curtailed of recent times due to the unchecked proliferation of sycamore trees growing atop the ridge and along the base of the wall. These have now (Summer 2008) attained a considerable height, thoroughly obscuring the view- and doubtlessly causing all manner of damage to the ancient masonry.

Much of this material for the fortress was labouriously transported from a large quarry on the far side of the River Dee, today a park known as Edgar's Field which supplied fine building stone throughout the Roman occupation and after. Additional supplies of building stone also came from sources nearer to hand, such as that excavated during the construction of the deep defensive ditch or fosse which we see before us carrying the canal and the area just across the canal. The large quarry here recently came to light again- after being filled in for centuries- when the bus station which occupied the site was demolished. We will learn more of this shortly...

In 1711, there was a mention of a "quarry near the Phoenix Tower" and the site of another small local quarry, known as the Abbey Quarry still exists just behind the buildings on the far side of Abbey Green and is today utilised for car parking.

Excavated at the base of the natural sandstone escarpment, the fosse, during the centuries of Roman occupation would have been carefully kept clear of any debris and vegetation by which a potential enemy might gain cover or even a handhold to assist in scaling the wall.
Maintainance ceased with the withdrawal of the Legions, and subsequent natural erosion, as well as- in those less-than-scrupulous times- domestic waste of all kinds being disposed of by simply being thrown over the wall, over the course of centuries resulted in the fosse filling up and virtually disapearing.

By the 13th century, the section below us was occupied by a low-lying, unsavoury sounding thoroughfare by the name of Boggelone (Bog Lane) which ran parallel with the wall immediately outside the Northgate.
At the commencement of the Baron's War in 1264, between Henry III and his barons, led by Simon de Montfort, steps were taken to put the city into a state of defence, much to the distress of the monks of Chester Abbey- partly due to the fact that they sympathised (but not too openly) with De Montford, but also because they owned houses in Bog Lane, which were demolished when the old Roman defences were re-excavated. The restored defensive ditch also prevented access to the monk's vegetable gardens outside the East Wall, the Kaleyards, and later "It was ordered that a drawbridge should be put across the fosse at the Kaleyard Gate".
These precautions did not prevent the city being briefly captured soon after by the Earl of Derby, but the monks eventually got their revenge, as he was afterwards, "Imprisoned for a long time in the Tower of London, on account of his many excesses of authority, and especially on account of the injuries done by him to ecclesiastics".
After the restoration of peace, the old fosse presumably resumed its ancient role as town dump and, though it is shown on Braun's map of 1573, it evidently filled up again and by the start of the 17th century part of it was being used as a pinfold- a place to confine straying animals.

Civil War defences
There was even less evidence of a ditch here later in the 17th century, during the Civil War Siege of Chester, when there was a danger of this stretch of wall being breached by cannon and mortar fire, allowing access to the Parliamentary attackers. Great piles of earth were raised against the insides of the wall to prevent this- although the defenders may only have had to reinforce the existing embankments surviving from the remains of the Roman turf ramparts which preceded the erection of permanent stone walls. These old earthworks, now planted with trees, remain clearly visible around the edge of the Deanery Field to this day.
You can gain access to this field, a very pleasant spot, by going down the steps into Rufus Court and turning left along Abbey Green.

We are grateful to correspondant Richard Edkins for the following: "During the 1970s I served as voluntary assistant to the Museum photographer, Tom Ward, during the Abbey Green section of the North Wall excavations. If you examine the site report, you will find that the Civil War entrenchments were dug through the Roman turf and timber backing mound of the Wall. The mural buildings built into the mound included well-preserved Roman baking ovens and storehouses, partly destroyed by Civil War entrenchments and by the 1940s excavations of Professor Robert Newstead.
The grim reality of warfare was shown by large numbers of flattened and spent musket balls embedded in the back of the Civil War trench. If my memory serves me correctly, the attack was at dawn on 7th July 1644, and was successfully beaten off".

In 1995, shards of pottery found here and assumed to be of Iron Age origin, were identified by the British Museum as actually being Neolithic (c. 3500-1700BC) making them the first examples of pottery of this period known from Cheshire, and a graphic illustration of the great antiquity of human occupation of this site.
More prehistoric artefacts came to light during at Chester's Roman amphitheatre in the Summer of 2000, when, during an excavation led by archaeologist Keith Matthews, a volunteer discovered a Neolithic flint blade dating from around 4000 BC, and later an arrow or spear point from around 4500 BC came to light- a period before widespread farming when hunters roamed the land in search of deer and wild boar.

Roman Memorials
During repairs to the North Wall near to Morgan's Mount in 1883, the workmen were surprised to discover large quantities of sculpted and inscribed stones packed into the wall's interior. When, four years later, in 1887, further repairs were carried out in the vicinity of the Deanery Field, a great many similar finds were made. It was soon realised that these were of Roman origin and a systematic investigation was commenced and, by the end of 1892, over two hundred complete or fragmentary pieces had been recovered. Most of these were tombstones which seem to have been taken from a nearby cemetery situated outside the fortress. Burials were not allowed within Roman forts and cemeteries were commonly located in prominent positions on either side of the approach roads.
Generations of soldiers had been buried there and the tombstones recorded the names, ranks and sometimes portraits of these deceased warriors and members of their families, and commonly included a carving of a wild boar, the symbol of the XXth Legion. They range in date from around 70 AD to the early third century and represent every type of citizen: soldiers and civilians, men and women, young and old- from France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia and Turkey.

Illustrated here is a typical memorial stone from the North Wall. It measures 50 inches high by 25 inches wide and contains a full-length portrait of the deceased, under which is inscribed: "To the memory of Caecilius Avitus of Emerita Augusta, Optio of the Twentieth Legion, who served for fifteen years and lived thirty four years. His heir had this erected."

The nature of the emergency that led to these memorial stones being hauled from their cemetery and built into the fabric of the wall remains entirely mysterious. Despite the undoubted respect the Romans had for their dead, it seems they were no sentimentalists- they had lived and died for the Empire and now their tombstones would contribute further to its defence.
Whatever the cause, for us at least it was a fortunate event, for these antique memorials that would normally have been lost and forgotten have remained fresh and unweathered and many of them are now proudly displayed in their own room at the Grosvenor Museum- one of the most important collections of Roman inscriptions and sculpture anywhere in Europe. We highly recommend you take the time to visit them, together with the superb mural by Chester-based artist Gregory Macmillan which depicts the great fortress of Deva and the people from all parts of the Roman Empire who once lived within the shelter of its walls.

Maintaining the Walls (or otherwise?)
This photograph shows the North Wall as viewed from the far side of the canal. Clearly visible is the face of the Triassic sandstone outcrop upon which Chester sits- liberally decorated by a mass of spring daffodils and topped by the splendid Roman masonry and Thomas Harrison's Classical Northgate. Compare this with Moses Griffith's view in the previous chapter.

As previously observed, this view has altered somewhat in the fifteen or so years since the photograph was taken due to the large number of saplings that have been allowed to thrive unchecked on top of the escarpment and along the base of the wall.

From 1307, Chester collected revenue for the maintainance of its walls and other defences by exacting a toll known as murage on all goods entering the town that could not be carried by hand. For this purpose, tollhouses were erected outside the gates and the small building you can see on the right of the Northgate in this picture is the city's only surviving example, though much altered and long since converted to a private residence.
If someone refused to pay the toll, the gatekeeper had the right to take the bridle off his horse. The last time this happened, the horse bolted and ran amok- an incident that contributed to the eventual ending of the practice.
Murage was also charged on goods carried by ships entering the Port of Chester. At the end of the 18th century, a duty of two pence was charged on every 100 yards of Irish linen imported. In 1786, about five and a half million yards entered the port, excluding that destined for Liverpool, which also paid duty to Chester. These tolls were eventually abolished in 1835.

In October 2006, something of an almighty row broke out regarding the state of our precious walls as more and more people started to notice a decline in their condition, including loose stonework and hand rails and weeds- even small trees (see above)- growing from them. It is certainly the case that the nearby Morgan's Mount has, sadly, long been closed off from visitors for safety reasons. (the inexplicable and unforgivable closure of the Phoenix, Water and Bonewaldesthorne's Towers remains another matter, however).
It was alleged that vital maintainance work had not been carried out for some considerable time and the funds set aside for the purpose had instead been spent on other projects including planning for the restoration of Chester Railway Station and its surroundings. Much hand-wringing ensued- not to mention a great deal of accusation and name-calling between political parties- and a council working party reported that, much as they wished it otherwise, there simply wasn't enough money avilable to do the job properly and desperate appeals were made to central government to make up the shortfall.
For many centuries past, when keeping the walls in good order was seen as vital to the safety and well-being of the city, laws to ensure that all who did business here contributed to the cost of their upkeep were strictly enforced. Today, it remains equally vital- albeit for economic and cultural, rather than defensive reasons- that Chester's City Walls and Rows are maintained to the highest possible standards. 
Is it not reasonable then, and especially in the face of likely government indifference, that the ancient practise of murage should be revived and that the numerous big business interests currently developing hotels, nightclubs, housing and retail complexes in and around our city, confident as they doubtless are of extracting large profits, should not, perhaps as a condition of their planning permission, to be compelled to do their bit and give a little back?

Right: a rich mixture of architectural styles- 18th century cottages, 19th c school, chapel, pub (the excellent 'Ship Victory'), 1960s tower blocks and car parks- is visible as we reach the northeast corner of the City Walls.

Fear mongering became reality a few months later, however, when the stretch of City Wall adjoing the Grosvenor Precinct was actually closed to the public. It seemed that a section of 18th century brick wall started to signs of collapse. It once formed the rear wall of an 18th stable block and was which unaccountably allowed to remain in place when this was demolished to make way for the precinct. The walkway remained closed to the public for several months until, with reassurances that all was well, reopening. But much more serious trouble was to follow a few months later, in April 2008. Work had recently started on removing the troublesome brick wall when a great stretch of the ancient City Wall itself collapsed onto the recently-erected scaffolding. The entire stretch has now been sealed off and it will now, sadly, remain closed for the forseeable future. It seems that the 'scaremongers' were right all along. Go here for the latest...

Extensive maintainance work was carried out on the outer face of the North Wall between the Northgate and the Phoenix Tower during the severe winter of 1981-82. This necessitated the erection of scaffolding from the canal towpath some fifty feet below and the masons working in this exposed position compared conditions to the "north face of the Eiger"...

The Coming of the Canal
In the middle of the 18th century, the canal builders- the 'navigators'- came to Chester and it was decided that the course of their new cut should run outside, and parallel with the line of the North Wall.
The contractors, expecting to have to cut through solid rock, were surprised and pleased to encounter the long-forgotten Roman fosse, having estimated, and been paid for, a much longer and more difficult excavation. As it was, the job cost £80,000 and was completed in 1779. We will hear more of the opening of Chester's canal shortly, when we reach the Kaleyard Gate.

The towpath alongside the canal was was for long exceedingly poorly maintained and as a result was frequently waterlogged and muddy, giving rise to numerous complaints from users. Despite all manner of excuses from British Waterways, a much-needed restoration was finally undertaken and it is now a delight to cycle and walk upon. The section that passes under the Phoenix Tower and the old sandstone arch outside the Northgate is quite spectacular and well worth investigating.
Chester is a popular centre for canal holidays and in the summer months, as you look down from the wall, you will see many craft passing by, on their way into rural Cheshire or via the spectacular Llangollen Canal into North Wales.
Once, however, these canals were the motorways of their day and Chester was an important junction and distribution centre in the system. From the last quarter of the Eighteenth Century to the end of the Second World War, generations of horse-drawn working craft would have passed this way, which not only carried all manner of heavy goods, but were also homes to the bargees and their often-large families. Where the canal turns the corner under the Phoenix Tower, you can still clearly see where their tow ropes have worn deep grooves into the sandstone (illustrated above).
We will learn more of Chester's canals when we visit Tower Wharf, later in out stroll.

As we proceed further along the North Wall, on the right and behind Rufus Court, we see the pleasant garden area known as Abbey Green, behind which are some fine 18th century houses, and in the background rises the tower of the Town Hall.
The bases of two vanished Roman interval towers lie under the grass at our feet. The bricked-up doorway on the wall to our right was built in 1768 by one Thomas Boswell as an entrance to Abbey Green and a long-vanished bowling green built on the Abbey orchard. You can see it just to the left of the lamp post in this misty winter's day view.
A contributor to the Cheshire Sheaf (of which more below) in February 1913 wrote the following, "people familiar with the walls of Chester between King Charles' Tower and the Northgate will, no doubt, have noticed a door, set in a frame of brickwork, and opening upon steps leading to the quiet cul-de-sac known as Abbey Green.
The little group of houses bearing this adress, with their cobbled approaches, their frontages of mellowed brick and regular rows of windows, although possessing no great individuality, are of a certain interest by reason of their air of solid comfort and respectability, and on account of the rapid rate at which dwelling houses of this period are being deserted for those of a more recent type, which, if they offer a greater variety to the eye, cannot, in many instances, compare with the former as regards material and workmanship.
The doorway was apparently made as a result of a petition to the Mayor and Corporation enrolled in the Assembly Book under the date 30 September 1768. In it Thomas Boswell stated that he had lately erected several houses on a piece of land between the Abbey Court and the Walls of the City, and was desirous of having a footway off the Walls to the said houses, but was prevented from having such way by a rail lately fixed to the Walls. He therefore prayed leave to cut off about a yard of the said rail so as to open a way as desired. An inspection was ordered and evidently the petitioner eventually received a favourable answer".

The local press of July 1817 informed its readers that, "Miss Marianne Briscoe, reflecting with gratitude upon the kind interest, favour and partronage which she has already experience in her Ladies' Boarding School in Abbey Green, Chester, hopes that her assiduous care to promote those mental, personal and religious acquirements which are of such infinite importance in the formation of the female character, will ensure for her establishment the encouragement and approbation of the public".

The Cheshire Sheaf, incidentally, was a “notes and queries” column, in which contributors asked and answered questions about all aspects of local history, culture and folklore. It was published in the pages of the local press between the years 1878 and 1990. In 2006, the entire vast archive was lovingly collected together (it must have taken ages!) and published as a searchable 2-CD set by Cheshire and Chester Archives and Local Studies. A fabulous research tool- and a lively read for anyone interested in the history of our city and county- it may be purchased here.

Immediately after passing by Abbey Green, visible across the larger Deanery Field rises the venerable Chester Cathedral, which we will shortly be visiting.
Excavations on this field have shown that this section of the Roman fortress was largely occupied by barrack blocks- over sixty of which, each housing a century of eighty men and a centurion, were packed within the walls. For centuries after this whole area was occupied by gardens and cultivated land, remarkably remaining unbuilt-upon to this day. These agricultural areas within the walls were a common feature of medieval Chester, but today the verdant Deanery Field is the last survivor and is perhaps a surprising sight in such a small, closely-packed city centre. But long may it remain so! We will learn more of it soon, when we reach The Kaleyard Gate.

Modern Times
Looking outside the wall, a Primitive Methodist Chapel formerly stood where the shabby Delamere Street Bus Station until very recently was located. Demolition of this bus station commenced during the late summer of 2005 and the site will be partially utilised as an underground car park as part of the massive- and controversial- Northgate Redevelopment scheme and also for the erection of shops and apartments. By April 2008, work on excavating the ground was well advanced. Our photograph shows the fascinating sight of an ancient quarry, exposed to view for the first time in centuries.
More photographs of this area as it once was may be seen here.

Interesting plans have also been announced for the creation of a new park to better utilise the area on the far side of the canal currently occupied by a dense growth of trees. More news on this as we get it...

Beyond the building work, on the site now occupied by Chester's main swimming baths and indoor sports venue, the Northgate Arena (illustrated above), formerly stood the old Northgate Railway Station. Chester is not renowned for the quality of its 1960/70s architecture but to many, the Arena is an exception. Its interior may possibly be in need of some sprucing up and the building would benefit from an extension to provide extra sports and leisure facilities, but there is, in theory, ample room to allow for that. Encased in parts in maturing greenery and surrounded by trees, the Northgate Arena is a handsome building that does much to relieve the somewhat grim environment of the Inner Ring Road and its pools and other facilities are very good and extremely popular with local people.

A shame then that, in their wisdom, some of our planners are of the opinion that, after a mere thirty years, the Arena is "out of date" and have proposed that its replacement should be sited well out of the city centre in the windswept wasteland of the Greyhound Retail Park. This writer's children are regular visitors to the Arena- and we don't need to drive them there. All that, of course, would change should this foolishness come about. The facts that the council apparently hatched a deal with a hotel chain for the site and with West Cheshire College- who wished to sell off their spacious green belt campus in Handbridge and, ludicrously, build a new one on the Arena's relatively cramped car park- were, of course, completely coincidental.
The college plan eventually, largely thanks to a storm of criticism, came to nought but talk of relocating the Arena sporadically continue. Ironically, in January 2008, it beat over 450 other entrants to be named the best leisure centre in the UK by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE).

The large open space outside the wall at this point was for centuries common land and known by the curious name of The Gorse Stacks, owing to part of it at one time being utilised for the safe storage outside the walls of brushwood and suchlike fuel for baker's ovens. Formerly, firewood had been merely stacked up anywhere that was convenient, often in close proximity to the wooden houses and shops. Consequently, when fire broke out, the results were extensive and disastrous and records show that great areas of the town were destroyed by fire on numerous occasions over the centuries. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, new laws were introduced which forbade the storing of fuel within occupied areas and open land such as Gorse Stacks were instead utilised.
In early Anglo-Saxon times, the area had been called 'Henwald's Lowe', a combination of an Old English personal name and the Old English hlaw, meaning 'mound' or 'hill'. We now have no idea who Henwald was, but must presume that he was a chieftain or suchlike personage of importance whose burial followed the tradition of taking place on an area of elevated ground overlooking his former domains.
Today, no trace remains of old Henwald's hill and the area has become a fairly unattractive place used for car parking and its future has for long been the subject of much local debate. Once the centre of a thriving commercial district centred upon the Cattle Market, which was demolished in the 1960s to make way for a traffic island on the Inner Ring Road, it is generally accepted to be in urgent need of improvement.
Major reports in 1964 and 1968 recommended the area be redeveloped and the building of a hotel here was proposed, but not acted upon, at the end of the 1980s. Then, in 1995, it was proposed to enclose the entire area within a new Millennium Wall, within which would be created a landscaped 'cultural quarter' containing galleries, shops, restaurants and the like- plus a new public square and open air market.
Some of the 'science fiction-style' artist's impressions of the time- see the example above- gave rise to considerable local criticism and no little hilarity. Moreover, it was estimated that the project would cost an astonishing £118 million, much of which was expected to come from the private sector and local authority, but over £60 million was applied for from the Millennium Commission- unsuccessfully, to nobody's great surprise.
Without this crucial funding, the entire project foundered and no mention of it has since been heard- although, independently of this, an organisation by the name of Chester in Concert has tirelessly campaigned for the erection of a much-needed, purpose-built concert hall, exhibition and arts centre on Gorse Stacks.

We may have thought the Millennium Wall was bonkers, but in the Spring of 2004 we first heard news of an even dottier plan hatched up by the city council and Dutch insurers/property developers ING (who are also undertaking the controversial Northgate Redevelopment) for the erection of a massive new glass and steel council headquarters building on Gorse Stacks. The proposed design, however, was, to say the least, unpopular, attracting a great deal of ridicule and has ever since been referred to- most appropriately, as our illustration shows- as "The Glass Slug". Prince Charles, the Earl of Chester, to the annoyance of those local politicians who thought erecting such as this in a historic city centre was a bright idea, made it known that he thought the design was horrible too.
Soon afterwards, local elections were held. The Conservatives had pledged that, should they be elected, they would cancel the building. They did take control of the formerly LibDem/Labour controlled council, for the first time in many years- and they did cancel it.
What the future holds for this neglected corner of Chester we can only wait and see. Watch this space!

But now, reaching the northeast corner of the city walls, we see rising before us the venerable Phoenix Tower...

Curiousities from Chester's History no. 3

• 1069 Chester was the last remaining great town in England to fall to the Conqueror's sword during the final stages of the Harrying of the North in 1069-70, fully three years after the Battle of Hastings. Numerous rumours had long been circulating about the difficult roads, the position of the city (surrounded as it was by marshes and great forests), of its numerous inhabitants- and of their obstinate courage: "Locorum asperitatum et hostium terribilem ferocitatem". Many of William's nobles, worn out by the struggles in the North, and alarmed at these rumours, demanded their discharge. Some actually retired to Normandy, abandoning the lands with which they had already been rewarded; but the persuasive powers of Duke William prevailed- he promised them great rewards, and, as the conquest of Chester was the last of his projects, they would find rest after their victory. As it turned out, as the Norman army drew near, the city (whose citizens had doubtless heard equally terrifying rumours regarding the approaching foe) surrendered without opposition. William granted the Earldom of Chester first to Walter de Gherbaud- who, however soon returned to Normandy- and then to his nephew, Hugh of Avranches- know as 'Lupus' (the wolf) and, in later life, 'Hugh the Fat'- "To hold to him and his heirs as freely by the sword as the King holds the Crown of England". The Earldom became very powerful and virtually independent of the Crown, the Earl having his own Parliament consisting of eight of his chosen Barons and their tenants, and they were in no way bound by any laws passed by the English Parliament with the exception of treason. The Castle was rebuilt and greatly enlarged and strengthened (becoming the 'caput' of the Earldom)- as were the City Walls.
• 1071 Hugh of Avaranches (Lupus) becomes first Earl of Chester (-1101) after the refusal of the position by Gherbod.
• 1086 In the Domesday survey made this year, it was recorded that there were 205 houses less in Chester than in King Edward's time, the city having been much devastated and looted by William's army.
• 1087 William the Conqueror died and was succeeded by his third son, William Rufus (William II)
• 1093 The Benedictine Abbey of St. Werburgh (the present day Chester Cathedral) was founded by Hugh Lupus and his Countess Ermentruda, with the assistance of Anselm, the Abbot of Bec in Normandy, who brought with him some of the monks of that Abbey. The secular Canons previously on residence in the Saxon building were turned out and their church virtually destroyed in order to make way for the great Norman Abbey which replaced it. Many parts of the Norman building survive in the fabric of today's Cathedral, but of the Saxon Minster there remains no trace. Richard of Bec becomes first Abbot (-1116)
• 1100 William Rufus accidentally killed in the New Forest; Succeeded by Henry I- the fourth, and youngest, son of William the Conqueror.
• 1101 Earl Hugh Lupus died and was succeeded by his only legitimate son, Richard (-1120). He was buried in the churchyard of the Abbey, but was later reburied in the Chapter House.