Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

This tower was the western of the two towers on the northern wall that flanked the 'water-lock', the triple series of arches (with portcullises) that carried the wall over the River Stour north. The tower was probably built between c. 1380 and 1390 when the City Wall was rebuilt.

Monument Types

• TOWER (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1385 AD? to 1769 AD)

Full description

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An excavation was undertaken at 19 Pound Lane prior to some restoration work, the house was once a square late 14th century tower on the city wall.

The whole of the extremely fine battered plinth on the west side of the tower was uncovered down to the water-table as well as the NW corner and part of north wall of the tower. The lower part of the tower was entirely made of large ashlar blocks of Kentish Rag and in this case so also was the refaced city wall. Behind the ashlar masonry was a very thick core of chalk block and mortar. Little survives above ground level of the north and west walls. On the south, however, much of the core of the city wall with its offset at parapet level still survives. This tower was the western of the two towers on the northern wall that flanked the 'water-lock', the triple series of arches (with portcullises) that carried the wall over the River Stour just north of the Abbot's Mill. Gostling records that the whole of this section of the city wall was built in ashlar masonry and was demolished in 1769. The tower was probably built between c. 1380 and 1390 when the City Wall was rebuilt.

Tatton-Brown, T., 1978, 19 Pound Lane and Church Lane, Canterbury. (Serial). SKE30771.

Andrews, G., 1985, The Archaeology of Canterbury: An Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE30429.

Sources and further reading