More information : NZ 2547 6415: Wall Knoll Tower (NR) (1)
Wall Knoll Tower with Sally Port (remains of). Base enlarged to carry new upper hall in 1716. (2)
Original base to the north west of arched passage (sally port). Upper floor in use as a civic hall, good condition, see photographs. (3)
Sallyport or Wall Knoll Tower. Lesser gateway in town wall, Company of Ship's Carpenters meeting hall above, 14th century town wall. Grade 1. (4)
Newcastle upon Tyne town walls, scheduled. (5)
NZ 2546 6414: Remains of part of the town defences of Newcastle upon Tyne situated at the junction of Tower Street and Garth Heads representing the eastern side of the circuit. It includes a length of curtain wall, a tower and one of the town's lesser gateways. Constructed from the mid 13th century to the middle or late 14th century enclosing an area of more than 60 hectares. The riverside lengths of curtain wall were added during the 15th century. The masonry defences were strengthened by a berm and ditch. The tower was leased to the Company of Shipwrights at least as early as 1638 and was modified in 1716 when an upper chamber was added to the top of the tower and a second bay added to the east.
Defences were refurbished during the medieval period and reinforced and repaired several times during the post medieval period. The length of curtain wall in this section is built of sandstone blocks and divided into 2 parts by the tower standing up to 4.5 metres. The most westerly fragment attached to the southwest corner of the tower is 1.5 metres long and formed the eastern end of a small rectangular chamber located within the curtain wall. Access was gained by an arched doorway from a spiral staircase within the south west corner of the tower. Attached to the south wastern corner of the tower the more easterly length of curtain wall is about 5.5 metres long and 2.1 metres wide. This length of wall contains a round headed entrance passage 2.9 metres wide. Projecting from the outer face of the curtain wall is a tower known as Sallyport or Wall Knoll Tower, a rectangular structure 8.5 metres long by 7.8 metres originally of 1 storey. Narrow window loops are now blocked. Within the tower the ground floor chamber is covered by a stone vault and has a spiral stair which rises from the south west corner of the chamber to the formal wall walk. Scheduled.(6)
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