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Summary

This record refers to the entire length of the west curtain wall of Southampton Castle from the Castle Garderobe at the south end to the ashlar buttress by Forest View at the north end, where the line of the castle’s north bailey wall once met the west curtain wall. The west curtain wall continues the line of the western town wall, and is sometimes referred to as part of the town wall. However in the medieval period it was not the responsibility of the town to maintain this wall, so is not included in the town records for the defences.
The south part of the wall is formed by the modified west wall of Castle Hall (see MSH553). North of this is the Castle Watergate (MSH740), then the section of wall along Cement Terrace in front of Castle Vault (see MSH715), then the wall along Forest View (see MSH854). There may have been a tower at the junction part-way along the wall (MSH855), and at the north end is ashlar buttress (MSH3413).

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1340005: TOWN WALLS: SECTION OF WALL RUNNING WEST FROM BARGATE TO ARUNDEL TOWER AND THEN SOUTH TO POINT JUST SOUTH OF CASTLE WATER GATE. IT INCLUDES ARUNDEL TOWER, CATCHCOLD TOWER, GARDEROBE TOWER, THE 40 STEPS, CASTLE WATER GATE & CASTLE VAULT & THE TOWN WALLS
• Scheduled Monument 1001927: Town wall: section from 75 yards (70m) East of Arundel Tower to limit of castle site including Arundel and Catchcold Towers

Other Statuses/Codes: None Recorded

Monument Type(s):

• CASTLE (Medieval - 1100 AD? to 1300 AD?)
• CURTAIN WALL (Built, Medieval - 1100 AD? to 1300 AD?)

Full description

This record has been created as a convenient place for the documentary sources referring to the west castle wall. See individual child records for particular parts of this wall which are or may be different builds. Further work required.
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DOCUMENTARY SOURCES

[1]: 1454 terrier.
- Tenement No 456: assignment of “the next loop on the north side of the aforesaid Castle, that is next to the Stile there.” (Plan shows “The Stile”.)
- Description of the Fourth Ward (No 519). 6 loops in the section of wall between “another tower towards the north” of “the tower over Pilgrimsgate” and “the high walls of the King’s Castle on the north side”.
- Description of the first part of the First Ward (No 520). 2 loops “from the walls of the King’s Castle, that is at the Stile on the north side of the same Castle, as far as the small tower towards the north”.
- Description of First Ward (No 521). “The First Ward begins at the Stile of the King’s Castle, that is on the north side of the same Castle, and the same ward extends towards the north, east and south....”.
- Description of the Wards (No 524). “The Fourth Ward ...extends....as far as the high walls of the King’s Castle on the north side, excluding the same high walls of the Castle...”.

[1]: c1488.
- Description of First Ward (No 525). The First Ward begins at “the Style on the walles of the King’s Castle’ in the north’ parte of the same Castell”.
- Description of the Wards (No 528). Description of the 4th ward refers to “...the hye walles of the Kynges Castell...” and “....litill’ yate of the Castell...” (the context of the latter suggests this is the south gate of the castle – SCC HER).

[1]: 1544 Muster Book (No 529). “...the Castell walle” mentioned north limit of St Michael’s and St John’s Ward.

SCC HER 15/11/09: The 1454 terrier and similar later documents given in [1] are only concerned with the parts of the town defences that were the responsibility of the town, so not the west wall of the castle. The 1454 references to “The Stile” come in assignments of the first loops on the town wall north of the castle, and the context suggests that the Stile may have been a way over the west end of the castle bailey wall (MSH2221), at the buttress there (MSH3413).

[2][3]: (Englefield 1801/1805). After describing the projecting mass of the town wall NW of Bridle-gate, the wall “then continues in a direction nearly due north, high out of the water, and fortified by six very strong and handsome buttresses. The third of these buttresses is much larger than the rest, and has in it a door-case, high above the foot of the wall, and which probably was a water gate to the Castle. In the intervals of the buttresses are traces of several loops and small windows, which lighted a large vault; of which more when we treat of the castle. This part of the wall is beautifully mantled with ivy. The wall then runs northwards in a straight and flat face, and has one buttress more, at some distance to the rest, of most exquisite masonry. Just beyond this buttress is a large angular one, which by flying arches to the wall on each side, supported a small tower. Here the wall goes off at an obtuse angle to the north-east, and has three very strong buttresses in this face. At this spot the wall of the castle abuts on the town wall; of which more anon. This point is two hundred yards from Bridle-gate.”*
"The great beauty of the masonry in that part of the town wall which formed the enclosure of the castle towards the sea, and which, it may be observed, is built of a stone very different from the rest of the wall, indicates its having been restored in the reign of this monarch (Richard II) .....” (conjecture).

* Note that Englefield is mistaken here, and that the “wall of the castle” – that is the north bailey wall – butts the “town wall” further south at the buttress of “exquisite masonry”. SCC HER

[5]: Davies, 1883. (Describing the town and castle wall.) “....the north wall of the castle baily struck the town wall, the abutment of a plain rectangular buttress supporting the junction.
“The walls, probably of Norman date and about 38 feet high, now continue southward some 370 feet, being common both to the town and castle, as far as the remains of a tower at the south-west angle of the castle baily. (Then goes on to described some broken bonding just over half way along – see MSH855, and the west walls of Castle Vault and Castle Hall, although not so-named – see MSH710 and MSH743).

[4]: (VCH 1908) reference to castle wall.

[7] in [6]: 1951. The character of the west wall of the castle is exactlly that of the latter part of the 12th century, as attested by the Norman buttress (Plate XI). Its rubble walling consists of small, cubical blocks of stone…. (O'Neil's Style I).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events: None recorded

Related records

Associated Links: None recorded

Images

Top of town wall south of Garderobe Tower, Forest View, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Top of town wall southwards from castle buttress, Forest View, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
Town wall and towers looking north from Forest View, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Garderobe Tower and castle buttress, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
Garderobe Tower, castle buttress and town wall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Garderobe Tower, castle buttress and town wall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
Castle buttress and town wall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Catchcold Tower, Garderobe Tower, castle buttress and town wall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall southwards of the castle buttress, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Catchcold Tower, Garderobe Tower, castle buttress and town wall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
Town wall south of castle buttress (below Forest View), Western Esplanade - putlog holes, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West town wall below Forest View and Cement Terrace, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall below Forest View and towers to north, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West town wall below Forest View and Cement Terrace, Western Esplanade - detail, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall below Forest View, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West town wall below Forest View and towers in distance, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall by Castle Vault and Castle Hall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West town wall by Castle Vault, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall by Castle Vault, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West town wall by Castle Vault, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall by Castle Vault, Western Esplanade - Castle Vault door, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West town wall by Castle Vault and Castle Hall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
Castle Vault, Western Esplanade - door to vault, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Castle Vault, Western Esplanade - vault window, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
Castle Vault, Western Esplanade - vault window, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Watergate, Western Esplanade - plaque, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
Watergate, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Watergate, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall by Castle Vault and Watergate, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West wall of Castle Hall, Western Esplanade - blocking, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West wall of Castle Hall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	West town wall by Castle Vault, Watergate and Castle Hall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham
West town wall by Castle Vault, Watergate and Castle Hall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham	Castle Hall, Castle Garderobe and remains of south town wall, Western Esplanade, 21.6.09, © I Peckham

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