The Westgate is one of only two surviving medieval gateways that were one an integral part of the city wall. The other gate being Kingsgate and the church of St Swithun which featured in a previous blog post.

Originally built in the 12th century and later remodelled, the west face was added in the 14th century to defend the city against threatened invasion from France. The openings below the parapet on the west face of the gate were for dropping ammunition such as rocks, oil or even boiling lead on potential invaders. The loops below the shields were designed for primitive hand-held cannons, and the slots in the gateway arch held a portcullis. The little room above the arch, originally a guardroom, served as a debtors’ prison from the 16th to the 18th century, and is now a museum.*

The contents of the museum sound interesting but unfortunately it wasn’t open on the day we passed it on our route to the Great Hall.

*From the Pitkin City Guide to Winchester.