Description

869/5/288 ST SWITHUN STREET
869/6/288 CITY WALL
24-MAR-1950 REMAINS OF CITY WALL AT REAR OF NO 11
AND NO 12 AND NOS 16 TO 23

(Formerly listed as:
ST SWITHUN STREET
CITY WALL
REMAINS OF CITY WALL AT REAR OF NO 12
AND NOS 16 TO 22)
(Formerly listed as:
ST SWITHUN STREET
CITY WALL
REMAINS OF CITY WALL AT REAR OF NO 12
AND NOS 16 TO 23)

II

869/5/288 ST SWITHUN STREET
869/6/288 CITY WALL
24-MAR-50 Remains of City Wall at rear of Nos 11
and 12 and Nos 16 to 22

(Formerly listed as:
ST SWITHUN STREET
CITY WALL
Remains of City Wall at rear of No 12
and Nos 16 to 23)

II
Remains of the Winchester city wall. The wall originally dates from the late 3rd century AD, but has been repaired and rebuilt throughout its history into the Saxon and medieval periods.

MATERIALS: The wall is composed of flint and limestone rubble. The original bonding is of lime mortar, but later pointing and repair has occurred in places, with the inclusion of some brick. It is orientated north west-south east.

DESCRIPTION: The wall which can be seen today is essentially the wall core without its original facing stones. For the majority of its length the wall acts as a property boundary or garden wall. At No. 12, however, the wall forms the south wall of the house itself, and a fragment of wall extends into the garden of No. 23 St Swithuns Street.

HISTORY: The wall has its origins in the late 1st century Roman earthwork which first marked out this defensive line. The first masonry wall replaced the earthwork in the late 3rd century. The wall continued through the Saxon and into the medieval period with necessary repairs being inserted. From C12 there were a major series of repairs and rebuilds, until the wall was partially dismantled in C18 when it lost its purpose as a defensive structure. It subsequently became incorporated into the houses and boundaries of the expanding city.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: This section of the city wall is significant in terms of the survival of evidence of the development defended towns in Britain, and in terms of its construction methods and materials. It preserves the line of the earliest defences of the city, and the rarity of survival of this type of structure is remarkable. Of importance also is the effect it had on the development of this part of Winchester, including its incorporation into a listed building in St. Swithun Street. Surviving town walls, in the context of walls considered for listing, are among the most important examples to be found.

SOURCES: F Barlow, M Biddle, O von Feilitzen, DJ Keene, Winchester in the Early Middle Ages (Winchester Studies 1, ed. M Biddle, Oxford, 1976), 272-7.
D Keene, Survey of Winchester I (Winchester Studies 2, ed. M Biddle, Oxford, 1985), 42-8.

Listing NGR: SU4803029146

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26460708

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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