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Summary

The Castle East Gate (Castle Eastgate) linked Southampton Castle to the northern part of the town. The surviving remains either side of Castle Lane include parts of two drum towers and the stone grooves of a portcullis in the gate passage. The gate was demolished in the late 18th century and the remains were concealed behind later buildings until they were uncovered by WWII bombing and subsequent site clearance. The remains were archaeologically excavated in 1960/61 (SOU 147). The present gate was found to have been built after the north bailey curtain wall (MSH2221), probably in the late 14th century; there is some documentary evidence to support this date. No trace was found of an earlier gate; however there probably was a gate at this location in the rampart (MSH605) and later curtain wall in the 13th century.

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1178677: SOUTHAMPTON CASTLE WALL RUNNING FROM FOREST VIEW TO CASTLE LANE
• Scheduled Monument 1001832: Castle Gateway, Castle Lane

Other References/Statuses

• HER backup file (new series): SOU 147  (paper & digital), etc
• Old Southampton SMR No/Backup file: SU 4111 SE 83  

Monument Type(s):

• CASTLE (Medieval - 1150 AD? to 1388 AD)
• GATE (Built, Medieval - 1200 AD to 1299 AD)
• GATE (Built, Medieval - 1378 AD to 1388 AD)
• GATE TOWER (Built, Medieval - 1378 AD to 1388 AD)

Full description

[8]: Extract from Listed Building Description. CASTLE LANE - Southampton Castle wall running from Forest View to Castle Lane (Grade II*).
- Late C14 remains of the drum towers flanking the principal gateway to Southampton's Mediaeval Castle. These twin drum towers were added to the defensive bailey wall of the Royal Castle.

IP 26/2/09: Only the above-ground remains are listed and scheduled.
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[10][11]: Englefield 1801/5. Describing the probable principal entrance to the castle on Castle Lane. “A small fragment of a circular tower is yet visible on the left-hand side of this street, but built up in a house; and the arched gateway was taken down in the memory of many persons now alive. The wall of enclosure is more visible on the right hand...... The wall on the left hand of the gate is nearly destroyed.....”

[12]: Davies, 1883. “...the principal gate of the castle, destroyed ... in the last century, though a fragment may still be seen on the north of the lane.”

[1] in [2]: The main entrance to the former Southampton Castle, the Eastgate, originally led via Castle Lane to High Street. The gateway was demolished in about 1770. The remains of the towers flanking Castle Lane were concealed by buildings until they were uncovered by WW2 bombing and subsequent site clearance associated with the construction of Castle Way.

SOU 147 (Excavation outside the Castle East Gate in 1960 and 1961):
[1] in [2]: In the gate passage parts of the doorway were found. A wall/sill ran across the gate passage, linking the north and south sides of the passage at the door jambs; it was not possible to establish whether this wall had been one edge of a drawbridge pit. No evidence was found for the pivots of a drawbridge, and only the grooves of the portcullis were found in front of the door. The remains of the two half-round towers, one on either side of the gate, were investigated. Sloping plinths set on deep foundations survived, but most of the superstructures were destroyed. Each tower was in front of an arch in the arcaded bailey (curtain) wall; they were therefore clearly a later build than the bailey wall, and contemporary with the gate passage. No trace was found of an earlier gate. A "layer of clay and gravel filling" in the guard chamber of the north tower contained late 13th century pottery. The inner edge of castle ditch was found 0.46m east of towers (see separate record). It was apparently continuous in front of the gate with no causeway. It is suggested that the ditch was realigned (recut) to the east after the construction of the towers.
It is suggested from the documentary evidence, combined with the late 13th century pottery found in the north tower, that the towers and new gateway were built in the 14th century. There is reference to the bridge of the bailey in 1156-7, and from 1204-8 there was heavy expenditure, probably on the north-west part of the bailey wall and including a simple gateway. In the later 13th century no large sum was spent on the castle, and "the pottery from the north tower is too late to fit an earlier date". The next period of heavy expenditure was between 1378 and 1388, involving work on the castle mound. There was new building on the bailey defences in the 14th century (eg castle Water Gate). It is therefore possible that the castle East Gate was rebuilt at this time, with new towers, and the ditch realigned.

IP 2/7/04: The reasoning in [1] as to the date of the rebuilt East Gate implies that the layer containing the late 13th century pottery was cut by the tower construction trench, although the latter is not actually stated.

[7]: (1986 discussion of documentary and archaeological evidence for the castle.) In its present form, Castle Eastgate was built in the period 1378 to 1388. (Fig 47 shows a possible earlier late 13th century phase.) (Note, there had been no further work on the Eastgate since SOU 147. SCC HER)

[9]: Popular booklet. Castle East Gate (details from [7]). The Castle East Gate linked the Castle to the northern part of the town. The stone grooves of a portcullis can still be seen; this, together with timber gates, would have blocked the archway that once stood between the two drum towers. East Gate was excavated, and subsequently restored, in 1960.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESH147 - Excavation outside the Castle Eastgate in 1960 and 1961 (Site 3, the East Gate) (Ref: SOU 147)

Related records

Associated Links: None recorded

If you have any feedback or new information about this record, please email the Southampton HER (her@southampton.gov.uk).

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