Kevin Nosferatu: Skulferatu #99 - West Walls, Newcastle upon Tyne

When you think of the walled cities in Britain, the ones that most commonly spring to mind are York and Chester, however many of the more ancient cities in the UK, like Newcastle, were at one time protected by a defensive wall. As the old saying goes – ‘If walls could talk, what tales they would tell’, and at around seven hundred years old the town walls of Newcastle must have quite a bit of gossip for us.

A view of a Chinese Arch that is red and gold. In the background on a piece of lawned ground runs an old wall - the West Walls or town walls of Newcastle. Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.

Looking along the wall from the Chinese Arch

The town wall around Newcastle was built during the 13^th and 14^th centuries to defend the town from attack and occupation, during a time of hostilities between England and Scotland. The wall was around two miles long, varied in height from fourteen feet to twenty three feet and was surrounded by a defensive ditch. There was a parapet on top of the wall, seventeen towers, six main gates, three side gates and seventeen water gates at the Quayside, allowing access to the riverside.

A view showing a the old town walls with a path running alongside them, just behind then is a row of red brick factory like buildings and in the distance is a tall, modern glass tower building. Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.

The West Walls

A view along the town walls with the tops of the red brick buildings showing above them. Towards the end of the photo can be seen a small, stone tower that was one of the many towers that once made up parts of the town wall. Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.

The West Walls

On several occasions the wall helped repel attacks by Scottish forces, but in 1644, during the Siege of Newcastle by the Scottish Covenanters, the wall was breached, and the Scots army took control of the city and surrounding area. Once this conflict was over, the walls were repaired and strengthened. They were further strengthened during the Jacobite Rebellions in 1715 and 1745, as it was feared that the Jacobite troops may invade. However, they didn’t and in the subsequent peace the walls fell into disrepair with some parts being demolished, and others being scavenged for building material.

A view of part of the town wall with one of the towers, Mordern Tower. Right behind the tower, in the distance, stands the large glass looking modern tower. Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.

Morden Tower

The West Walls

A view of a path that runs at the back of the town wall. On one side is the old town wall, there is a tarmac path in the middle and then on the other side the red brick walls and air conditioning units of the various industrial buildings. Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.

Path running down the back of the walls

The Wall

Today, several parts of the wall remain, the best preserved of these can be found in the west of Newcastle, in the Chinatown area. Several of the wall towers still stand, these being Herber Tower, Morden Tower, Ever Tower and Durham Tower.

Morden Tower

Morden Tower was for many years a famous literary hub and was used as a venue where many poets and writers came to give readings of their work. Those giving readings there included Allen Ginsberg, Seamus Heaney, Carole Anne Duffy, Ted Hughes, Roger McGough, Derek Mahon, Brian Patten, and Stevie Smith.

Durham Tower

A photo of a stone wall. Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.

All in all, you’re just another stone in the wall

On my walk around the walls, I made my way down to Durham Tower, which is one of the most intact of the original towers. There, I left the Skulferatu that had accompanied me in a gap in the cement between the stones, underneath one of the windows.