Roman Towers and Medieval Gates
Chester's Roman amphitheatre was built just outside the south-east corner of the Roman fortress of Deva. Remains of the original Roman wall and a tower can be seen just below the more recent medieval wall. Some other points of historical interest in the immediate vicinity of the amphitheatre are the Wolfgate, the Newgate, and Thimbleby’s Tower.
Roman Angle Tower
On a grassed area below the City Walls on Pepper Street, slightly north of the Newgate, are the remains of a Roman tower. The remains are of an angle tower which was sited on the south-east corner of the original Roman fortress of Deva. In Roman times the defensive wall lay slightly forward of the later medieval wall. In the Middle Ages when Chester’s City Walls were rebuilt and extended, the back wall of the Roman south-east angle tower was used.
The above view is of the remains of the South-East Roman Angle Tower at the foot of the City Walls on Pepper Street
The Romans used a ‘playing card’ layout for their permanent fort at Chester. It was rectangle in shape with rounded corners. Towers were built at each corner and additional towers would have been built at intervals between the corners.
The current circuit of the walls was extended in medieval times and covers an area beyond the original roman fortifications. In Roman times, the northern and eastern walls were sited as they are today, but the southern wall would have run from the south-east angle tower along what is now Pepper Street and then White Friars. It would have intersected modern day Bridge Street. The western wall is known to have run slightly east of present day Nicholas Street and Linenhall Place.
The above view is from the City Walls and shows part of the remains of the South-East Roman Angle Tower in the foreground, the Wolfgate and the Newgate. The Roman Gardens can also be seen in the distance.
Wolfgate
The older gateway that can be seen between the remains of the angle tower and the Newgate is the Wolfgate, also known as Old Newgate. The Wolfgate was built in 1768 and was once the main thoroughfare at this section of the walls until the Newgate was built in the 1930s to ease traffic congestion and allow larger vehicles to enter the city through this section of the walls. The original medieval Wolfgate was deliberately built narrow, so that it could easily be defended from attacks by enemies. The earliest medieval gateway here was called Wolfeld’s Gate and was first recorded in the late 12th century. The original gateway may have dated to before 1066. The origins of its name are a mystery.
Above is a view of the Wolfgate and the Newgate from inside the City Walls. The Roman Amphitheatre and St. John's Church can be seen in the distance.
Newgate
The Newgate is one of the most recent additions to the city walls and was opened in 1938. As traffic congestion increased in the 1930s, the Wolfgate was deemed too narrow for modern traffic. The architect Sir Walter Tapper and his son Michael were therefore commissioned to design a wider and taller gate, next to the Wolfgate. The present Newgate is of a neo-Gothic style and was designed to blend in with the rest of the medieval walls. It is built of reinforced concrete and faced with red Runcorn sandstone. Featuring ornamental arrow slits and heraldic shields it is now a protected monument along with the rest of the City Walls.
The Newgate is part of a complete circuit of the City Walls that can be walked. It is a good spot to pause and view the Roman amphitheatre, the Roman Gardens, the remains of the Roman Angle Tower, and St John’s Church.
The above view is of the Newgate from outside the City Walls.
Thimbleby's Tower
North of Newgate and just beyond the remains of the Roman Angle Tower, is Thimbleby’s Tower. As a medieval watch tower, it had an octagonal stone vault, and was probably built c.1300 at the level of the walls walk. It was rented from the corporation by the Gamulls, who were a prominent Chester family in the early 17th century. It was described as a ‘ruinous old place', until 1643, when it was put into repair during the civil war siege.
Thimbleby’s Tower has also been known as Wolfe Tower, or Humphrey’s Tower. It may have sustained damage as the Gammull family were asked to pay for repairs. In the late 17th century it was described as ‘of no great use’, and in the 18th century it served as a laundry. The tower was repaired in 1879. In 1994 it was given a steeply pitched tiled roof.
The above picture is a view from on top of the Newgate. The remains of the South-East Roman Angle Tower can be seen in the foreground. The Thimbleby Tower with its steeply pitched tiled roof can be seen adjoined to the walls walk in the background.