Part Of City Wall With Tower Base From Kaleyard Gate To Eastgate

CHESTER CITY (IM)

SJ4066NE CITY WALLS 595-1/2/113 Part of City Wall with tower base 28/07/55 from Kaleyard Gate to Eastgate (Formerly Listed as: City Walls & Towers incl. foundations of SE angle Roman Fortress wall & tower)

GV I

Part of east wall of Roman legionary fortress and of medieval city. Late C1 to early C2 and late C11 to early C12, converted to a raised promenade 1702-8 and repaired in various periods. Purple-grey Roman ashlar masonry and softer red sandstone rubble, medieval and later. Roman masonry up to 4 courses high and 15m long forms the projecting base to the wall north of Kaleyard Gate (qv). Further south a portion of Roman masonry not closely accessible when inspected rises to a maximum of 6 courses standing a little proud of the medieval wall face. The internal face of the wall immediately south of Kaleyard Gate has a 5-metre run of continuous corbelling, formerly at the base of the inner timber palisade to the rampart, immediately below the wall-walk level. A ramp parallel with the wall leads up from Abbey Street, stone-paved and with red sandstone parapet with blocked opening of former doorway to Cathedral Close. Along the Close the wall has panels of iron rails between buttress-shaped piers. Steps down leading to Frodsham Street at the site of a drum tower of which the foundations are exposed, probably 1285-95. Modern stone steps south of the Cathedral bell-tower lead down to St Werburgh Street. The portion of wall in this item is approx 370m long and from 2-3m wide. Archaeological excavation in 1991 revealed the stone-faced outer ditch, to be built over. (Strickland TJ: Roman Chester: Chester: 1984-1986: PASSIM; Cheshire Sites and Monuments Record: Collens J: Chester City: 3000/1/18 & /2/10).

Listing NGR: SJ4066966492