The current St Batholomew’s church in Mount Lane off Westgate is not the first church to have appeared on this site. The suburbs extra muros of St Pancras to the east and of St Sepulchre to the west date back to Roman times, both housing 3rd century cemeteries within their parishes, with the main one… Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories: St Sepulchre Round Church
Category: Industrial Heritage
The Brewery Field: Community Open Day 2017
After 105 years absence, it was an emotional moment to see a brewery dray enter the Brewery Field this Sunday as two magnificent shire horses, Pride and Griffin, were driven in by John Medhurst, their driver for the past 28 years. The Fullers Horse and Dray was the star attraction of the annual Community Open… Continue reading The Brewery Field: Community Open Day 2017
Hidden Westgate Histories: The Shippam Stables
By an amazing coincidence, the very week that the dray horses came back to the Brewery Field, if only for an afternoon, a resident was clearing the vegetation back in her garden when she discovered several items hanging on the wall. The first one was this strange item: If you look up at the buildings… Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories: The Shippam Stables
Brewery Field Community Open Day
Don’t miss the Brewery Field Community Open Day on Sunday 20th August, 12-4pm. From 1751 to 1954 the Field was on the site of the Westgate Brewery, which produced beer for inns and pubs across Sussex. In 1811 the Brewery was rebuilt, to become the largest in Chichester, and in 1827 it was taken over… Continue reading Brewery Field Community Open Day
Hidden Westgate Histories: The Westgate Lavant
Most residents are familiar with our winterbourne, the River Lavant. Winterbourne because it is a seasonal stream that comes down from the Downs, filtered out of the chalk after the Winter rains. Most of us are familiar with its current course on the West side: emerging from the City from underneath the Fountain public house… Continue reading Hidden Westgate Histories: The Westgate Lavant
The Brewery Field in 2017
The History This field was part of the Westgate Brewery which produced beer for many inns and pubs across Sussex and East Hampshire from 1751 until it closed in 1954. In 1827 it was taken over by the Henty family who went into partnership with George Constable in 1921. The brewery had been rebuilt in… Continue reading The Brewery Field in 2017
The Westgate Brewery part 2
This article appears as a complement to the one published earlier this year From Brewing to Business Services The Westgate Brewery (now home to Mercers, a pensions firm) was founded in 1751 probably by John Dearling and from 1793, taken on by William and Edward Humphrey. The brewery’s association with the Henty family seems to date… Continue reading The Westgate Brewery part 2
The Chichester and Midhurst Railway: Level Crossing
Article adapted from one originally researched and compiled by Paula Chatfield of Parklands RA for her excellent Easter Trail series and re-published here by permission. Before the railway arrived (see 1813 map below), the Westgate/Fishbourne Road was the main road (for foot and horse traffic) between Chichester and Portsmouth. In 1846/7 a level crossing opened… Continue reading The Chichester and Midhurst Railway: Level Crossing
