Chichester Walls Walk

Despite being born in the city and visiting thousands of times over the years I had never walked around Chichester’s historic walls. I’m always looking for nice local things to do in the summer holidays so decided this was the year we would do it as a family! My Mum was born and bred in the city too, so had some really interesting facts, both related to the city and our family.

Chichester Walls Walk

The walls were built in the 3rd century by the Romans and large sections are still intact today. The trail is 1.5 miles long in total but there are plenty of places to stop and sit, or have a drink or snack en route. They are right in the city centre so there are plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars nearby. The walls walk passes through two of the nicest parks in the area which are ideal picnic locations.

Eastgate

We started our walk at Eastgate, but you can start at any end of the city, Northgate, Southgate, Eastgate or Westgate. It was only whilst walking around that it dawned on me that the gates were real gates in the past, to let people in and out of the city. Just one of those things you never think about…

If you start at Eastgate like we did then the easiest place to park is at the cattle market car park. I’m old enough to remember when it was an actual livestock market, just! See the map below for the exact location.

The walls at Eastgate start just in the aptly named East Walls, just a two minute walk from the car park, next to New Look in East Street. It’s a gentle slope up from the pavement but beware that there are steps at the other end (and in the middle) so this section is not suitable for wheelchairs.

The building that currently houses New Look, and has been converted into flats, is the former Shippams factory. My grandfather worked in the Shippams laboratory there for many years and I have clear memories of the smells which eminated from the building. They weren’t pleasant but were just part of the city’s charm!

I love how the old clock and Shippams entrance sign has been preserved.

When we reached the end of East Walls my Mum pointed out that the house on the left hand corner used to belong to Cecil Shippam, so he obviously wanted to live close to his business. The other brother who jointly ran the company lived further afield apparently.

Priory Park

At the end of East Walls you need to cross over the road into Priory Park. There are a number of signs dotted around the Chichester walls walk which give information about the route and historic facts about the walls, like the one below.

Priory Park is home to the historic guildhall and mound, the history of which is fascinating (but I won’t ruin it by going into all the details here – you need to go and find out for yourself!)

The park is also home to Chichester Cricket Club, the team that my Dad played for in the 1950s and 60s. My Mum used to do the scores and make tea, and has some lovely stories about those days. She also pointed out houses in Franklin Place where my ancestors lived.

The north east section of the walls bends around the park on high, giving great views out to the city and down onto the children’s play park and bowling green.

You exit Priory Park on the bend of Priory Lane and then need to head up to North Street and Northgate to pick up the next section.

Northgate

The Northgate section of the Chichester walls walk starts where Northgate meets North Walls (the roads are very aptly named!)

This section of the walls takes you past the back of houses in Orchard Street, where my family lived too. You then pass the rear of West Sussex County Council’s building, County Hall and can see the cathedral spire in the distance.

Westgate

This section of the trail brings you to Westgate. Like other places on the Chichester walls walk, there is more information about the history of the walls here.

To access the next section head along Avenue De Chartres a short way and you’ll see a sign to the Bishop’s Palace Gardens. This is a lovely gated haven where you can take a picnic or just sit and chill on a nice day. The walls curve around the gardens, rising up a slope at one end and finishing with steps at the other.

You can either head back out of the gardens the way you went in and follow the walls at ground level to Southgate, or do what we do and go via South Street.

When you head out of the gardens by the cathedral you’ll find yourself in Canon Lane. You exit through an archway and head onwards directly behind the cathedral which takes you towards South Street past the deanery and through another arch onto the street itself.

At this point we needed to sit down and have a drink as it was an extremely hot day. We popped into the Buttery, which is just to the left on South Street and had a lovely afternoon tea in their cool cafe.

With social distancing in place, there was a one-way system out of the Buttery and I took the opportunity to have a wander around the cathedral grounds as it was such a lovely day.

Southgate

To get to the final quadrant you head south down South Street, left into Theatre Lane and then over the road into the Cawley Priory car park. The slope up to the walls walk is on the right and curves around the car park.

At the far end you exit the car park through an archway and then it’s a short walk along St John’s Street back to Market Road and the cattle market car park.

It took us a couple of hours to do the Chichester City walls walk in total, including a nice half hour’s rest in the Buttery. We were with my elderly Mum so took it at a sedate pace. I’m sure you could do it in an hour if you were short on time, it just depends how much time you want to spend reading each information board.

If you want to do other things in the local area then check out my Paddleboarding on the Chichester Canal post, my post about the Chichester Festival of Flowers and Aerial Photos of Chichester and Bognor Regis.

To find out more about the walls, there is a dedicated website for Chichester City Walls here.

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