The Watergate ruin

Another example of what must have been a wonderful place 700-800 hundred years back.

Constructed in the late C14 following the disastrous French raid, the Water Gate provided secure access from the commercial part of old town to Town Quay. Largely demolished some 400 years later, it formed a key part of the town walls circuit which is still impressive today and is worth walking, particularly the real West Quay section (not the ghastly shopping centre).

Watergate ruin which was built in the 14th Century was the main entrance for collecting taxes & for goods coming in & out. It was part of the 1 mile walls which surrounded Southampton town.

A wonderful ruin of an important tower and part of the historic medieval walls of Southampton. The Watergate was a collection point for taxes and duties. It was built in the early 14th century, when goods were unloaded directly onto the shore. The Town Quay, with its wooden crane, was built a hundred years later. The Watergate, except for its western tower, was pulled down in 1804. The walls to the east were demolished in the same century when great warehouses were built and with the increase of traffic.