Agricola Tower
Picture: Not Known
About this image:
Panoramic view of Chester Castle in 1900.
The publication 2000 Years of Building reads:
The large red sandstone tower in the Castle courtyard, variously known as Julius Caesar's Tower, Julius Agricola's Tower, and The Agricola Tower, has no known Roman connections, although Roman remains have been found on the Castle site. It was built c1150 as the gate tower for the inner bailey of the castle, but the openings were walled up less than a hundred years later when a new gateway with two drum towers was built. The medieval fabric was refaced in sandstone by Thomas Harrison during his rebuilding of the castle in 1818.
The Tower has three floors, reached by a stone staircase contained within the wall. The ground floor is a vaulted crypt. The first floor is the Chapel of St Mary de Castro (St. Mary's in the Castle) built in 1181-7. The walls of the chapel bear traces of some very important medieval wall paintings which are believed to be the work of an artist in the court of King henry 3rd who took over the castle in 1237. Now largely obliterated, the delicacy of the remaining images is protected by restricting public access. The Chapel is seldom used today but the font there is still available for christening children of the Cheshire Regiment.
Image Description:
Agricola Tower
This is a print of a panoramic view of the Castle complex from the Esplanade.
In the foreground there is a wide expanse of what appears to be a dusty road. To the right, in the middle of the road, there is an equestrian statue with a rider; the horse has its front right leg raised. It is set on large plinth of white stone. At the two corners visible on the print, there are lampposts each with a small globe lamp on top. Beyond the road there is a low wall on the left; alternate stone blocks and metal decorative railings decorate the top. To the right of this there is a small temple in the classical style. It is square with a pediment at the front and at the lower level there is a pillar at the corner and two columns in between. There is a blank wall between the columns and pillars. In front of this structure there is another lamppost with s small globe lamp. To the right is the main gateway to the castle parade ground. This is also in the classical style and has a flat roof supported on four columns. There is further row of four columns underneath the roof and an indication of other columns beyond that. On the top of the roof, set slightly back, there is a balustrade of plain stone with, in the middle at the front and to the rear of the structure, a larger stone slab with a frame around it. On the right of the main entrance, and partly obscured by it, is another classical temple. In front of this temple there is a small area of grass and another lamppost. The ground then slopes down with a lane running down between two grassy areas toward a row of single-storey cottages in the distance.
Between the temple and the cottages, the castle wall curves away around the parade ground; the top of the wall appears to match that on the left. Inside the parade ground there are cannons parked pointing outwards.
To the rear of the parade ground there is a long building of two storeys. In the centre there is a pedimented portico with a row of six columns supporting it. Behind this is a larger square structure. The roof of this is slightly higher than the rest of the building. To the left of the portico there are six windows at the first storey level and three windows then a door, then two more windows at ground level; this is repeated to the right of the portico. At the end of this building, on the right there is a square tower, which is taller than the surrounding buildings. At right angles to the porticoed building there is another of similar style. This has windows facing the parade ground and in the wall facing the road there are three windows on each storey. Behind this building is another and, to the right of that, a curved stone wall set on a grassy mound above the single storey cottages.
To the left of the picture there is another building similar in style to the one at the back of the parade ground. This has two windows on each storey facing the road. Behind this building is a church tower, the tallest building in the picture. It has six pinnacles. There is a tree in front of the church tower and a colonnade from the building at the back, passing in front of the tree to the end of the building on the left.