Castle Timeline

Category : Article

11th Century:

 * 1070 Motte and Bailey Castle founded by William the Conqueror.

12th Century:

 * 1159-60 £102.7s.6d. spent on the work of the castle during the minority of Earl Hugh. £20 spent on the rebuilding of the castle bridge.

13th Century:

 * c.1210 The Agricola Tower is built as the bailey gatehouse with a first floor chapel, decorated with wall paintings.


 * c.1230-40 The Agricola Tower chapel is given a second coat of wall paintings of very high quality and focused on the Virgin Mary.


 * 1237 The end of the independent earldom, the castle is taken over by the crown, and remains the administrative centre of the palatinate.


 * 1241-5 Henry III uses the castle as a base for his campaigns in Wales, and an ‘oriel’ is constructed before the doorway of the King’s chapel. The castle was used as a goal from this time.


 * 1245 The King’s apartments were repaired, the paintings in the Queen’s chamber renewed and a bridge made from the castle into the orchard.


 * 1246-8 Henry III builds a new chamber over a cellar at a cost of £220.


 * 1247-51 Henry III replaces the wooden palisade round the outer bailey with a stone wall.


 * 1249-53 Henry III demolishes the hall in the outer bailey and builds a new Great Hall at a cost of £350.


 * 1251-67 Prince Edward uses the castle as a base for his campaigns against the Welsh.


 * 1284-91 Edward I adds new chambers for the King and Queen, as well as a stable and carries out repairs to the King’s houses at a cost of £1,400.


 * 1292-3 Edward builds a new outer gatehouse at a cost of £318.


 * 1299 Ten ceiling corbels in the King’s great chamber were coloured, and William of Northampton adorned the lesser chapel near the great hall with a depiction of the murder of Thomas Becket.

14th Century:

 * 1301 The chapel in the Agricola Tower is converted into a treasury.


 * 1310 The shire hall was removed to a new position just outside the main gate of the outer bailey.


 * 1327 Castle in the custody of Thomas of Warwick, and orders issued for its provisioning and repair.


 * 1328 The justice of Chester’s deputy had a hall, chamber and new kitchen in the inner bailey.


 * 1337 100 yards of wall had to be rebuilt, and repairs were undertaken on the constable’s hall and other buildings of the inner ward as well as the bridges leading to the two gatehouses.


 * 1347 Gonkes Tower, Chapel, Damory Tower, the Great Chapel, the Great Hall and several other chambers were all in disrepair.


 * 1353-5 £170 spent on the repair of the inner bailey wall.


 * 1355 A new exchequer was built within the castle

15th Century:

 * 1401 The exchequer is moved to a building adjoining the shire hall, just outside the castle.

16th Century:

 * 1511 £272 was spent on repairs to the great hall, gatehouses and shire hall.


 * 1536 The castle became a base for the County justices.


 * 1577-82 The Great Hall is rebuilt at a cost of £650, to house the shire court. The parliament chamber to the south was also reconditioned to house the exchequer court.


 * 1579-81 The castle provided supplies and lodgings for soldiers before they embarked for Ireland, during the revolt.

17th Century:

 * 1627-8 The Earl’s representatives reluctantly paid for repairs, including a new bridge into the castle.


 * 1642-6 The castle was a royalist headquarters during the siege of Chester, with a garrison commanded by a military governor. It escaped physical damage and in 1646 surrendered with all its arms, ordnance and ammunition intact.


 * 1646-59 The castle was a supply base for parliamentary troops in Ireland, with a garrison under a military governor.


 * 1660-2 Governor and garrison removed from the castle. Much of the outer gatehouse fell down, and John Shaw the county surveyor estimated cost of repairs at £860. A garden was created in the inner bailey for the judges to walk in at the Assize.


 * 1662-4 Just over £546 was spent on repairs to the castle.


 * 1687 James II visited the castle and heard mass. At this time the castle was garrisoned by 8 companies of soldiers from Ireland and a newly appointed furbisher. The castle received a new armoury and Frobisher's shop


 * 1689 Peter Shakerley was replaced as governor by Sir John Morgan, who requested two new companies of 100 men. A gun platform was built.


 * 1690 The castle was used in the transport of soldiers to Ireland to repress the Jacobites. The roof of the exchequer court and protonotary’s office were repaired.


 * 1691 Repairs to the armoury included 62 yards of brick walling, also the Flag Tower and Half-moon Tower were re-roofed.


 * 1696-8 The castle received a mint for William III’s recoinage. This was staffed by a comptroller (the astronomer Edmond Halley), a warden, master, assayer and 5 other officials. It issued half-crowns, shillings and sixpences

18th Century:

 * 1745 Castle under threat of attack by the Jacobites. George Earl of Cholmondeley put Chester in a state of defence, repairing the castle’s defences and adding raised batteries in the inner and outer wards and a raised platform with a  parapet south-east of the great hall. The military architect Alexander de Lavaux was engaged to draw up a plan to strengthen the fortifications, but the work was never carried out.


 * 1760-86 A large portion of the curtain wall of the inner bailey behind the armoury fell down. Repair work included the reconstruction of Lord Cholmondeley’s battery.


 * 1785 Quarter sessions ordered the rebuilding of the goal, and this was awarded to Thomas Harrison. Captain G French ascended in Lunardi’s balloon from the castle yard.


 * 1788 Harrison demolished the exchequer and constables house, then built the prison and southern parts of the main block.


 * 1789 A passage with a new gateway was opened into the upper ward, and consent was given for the outer gatehouse to be removed and replaced by a new arch and guardrooms.


 * 1791 The exchequer, grand jury room, protonotary’s office and prisoners’ wards had all been finished.


 * 1794-9 The main block including the shire hall, portico and prison chapel were finished.

19th Century:

 * 1804 The inner gatehouse, Square Tower and part of the curtain wall of the inner bailey were demolished and a new armoury block was erected in their place.


 * 1806-10 Another block housing the barracks, provost cells and exchequer court was erected on the north side of the outer ward. A ditch faced with a stone wall was constructed round the castle yard.


 * 1810 An extra mural magazine was constructed adjacent to the upper bailey wall.


 * 1811-13 A new Doric gateway (propylaea) was constructed.


 * 1818 The Agricola Tower is refaced in sandstone.


 * 1830 The extra mural magazine was taken down and the chapel of the Agricola Tower was used as the magazine.


 * 1831-6 Demolition of the officers’ barracks and judges’ lodgings in the south east range of the inner ward, to make way for a new armoury and Napier House. Harrison’s ‘B’ block converted into accommodation for officers and judges.


 * 1846 The guardroom in the upper bailey was constructed.


 * 1873 The open ball alley was converted into straw sheds.


 * 1875-7 Harrison’s main block in the lower ward was altered to include a new Nisi Prius Court, designed by T M Lockwood.


 * 1877 The prison was transferred to the crown.


 * 1878 The guardroom cells in the upper bailey were constructed.


 * 1882 The castle became the depot for the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment.


 * 1884 The prison was closed to civil prisoners.


 * 1891 Protonotary’s office converted to a council chamber for the new county council


 * 1892 The exchequer court was transferred to the War Department, and the site of the prison became a drill ground for the local volunteer artillery.

20th Century:

 * 1900-02 The prison buildings were demolished.


 * 1921 The Agricola Tower chapel ceased to be used as the magazine. The miniature rifle range was constructed. The fire engine shed in front of the Agricola Tower was taken down.


 * 1922 Harrison’s barrack block was restored. The site of the well in the upper bailey was uncovered and the water “found to be of excellent quality”, subsequently recovered with a York stone slab. 21 lime trees along the southeast side of the rifle range were planted.


 * 1923 A conservation programme was undertaken on the wall paintings in the Chapel of the Agricola Tower by the Office of Works.


 * 1939-57 The site of the prison was used to build the new county hall.


 * 1958 RHQ Cheshire Regiment took over ‘A’ block on the formation of Infantry Brigade Depots.


 * 1972 Part of ‘A’ block was made into the regimental museum.
 * 1979-82 Excavation and building recording in the inner bailey, directed by Peter Hough for the Department of the Environment.


 * 1992-3 Investigation and conservation of wall paintings in the Chapel of the Agricola Tower, undertaken for English Heritage by the Courtauld Institute.


 * 1997 Colvin House ceased to function as the Garrison Officers’ Mess.
 * 1999 The HQ for the Army Medical Services TA left Napier House.

21st Century:

 * 2009 Castle closed to casual visitors.