Agricola Tower
Picture: Not Known
About this image:
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:
South view of the upper ward. This is a print of the tower and associated buildings.
In the foreground there is an area of yard, which slopes up towards the right. At the foot of the slope there are three children; one is holding a hoop and there are two dogs with them.
To the left of the picture, there is a man who could be a soldier. He is standing in front of a single storey building with a large doorway and double doors; the door on the right is open. The building has a ridged roof and the walls are on stone. There is an arch above the double doors. To the right of the doors is a sentry box, with the opening facing a man? The single storey building is attached to the base of a tower. The tower is the tallest building in the picture and has a crenellated top; it is made of small stones or bricks; at each corner of the tower the surface of the wall protrudes slightly. There is a small black square on the right of the tower, near the top. At ground level there is a lean-to building in front of the tower; above its roof there is a small square window in the wall of the tower. This lean-to building is built of stone and has an arched doorway at the bottom towards the right. The lower part of this doorway is obscured behind the sloping ground. There is a lamppost in the yard immediately in front of the doorway.
At the top of the slope in the yard there is a tree leaning over towards the right. It is in leaf and partly obscures the building behind it. To the left of the tree there is a flight of steps with a railing on either side. These steps lead to a bridge, also with railings, leading to a door in the building on the right of the picture. The doorway has a stone lintel and appears to be open. Two soldiers are approaching the door. To the left of the tree at this level there is a window with four panes of glass. This storey is separated from the top floor by a band of light coloured stone. In the top floor two windows with four panes of glass can be seen. The roof of the building is ridged and there is a chimneystack with three pots on the right hand side of the roof.
Where this building joins the tower, there is a small wing sticking out behind the lean-to building. This section has a flat roof and two windows in the wall facing the tree. There is a drainpipe running from the top of the wing across and down the junction in the wall.
In the wall facing the sentry box there is one window.
Behind the single storey building, on the left, part of another stone building can be seen with a flat roof and one window.