Newcastle upon Tyne town defences: section of curtain wall including Durham Tower and section of town ditch

Scheduled area

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History & significance

Newcastle upon Tyne town defences: section of curtain wall including Durham Tower and section of town ditch is a fragmentary survival of the medieval fortifications that encircled Newcastle's commercial and administrative core. The curtain wall and Durham Tower, a rectangular defensive tower, date primarily to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, representing the town's systematic strengthening during the later medieval period when Newcastle was a significant port and military garrison on England's northern frontier. The preserved section of town ditch, which once ran outside the curtain wall, exemplifies the standard engineering approach to medieval urban defence in northern England. These remains, though partially obscured and damaged by subsequent urban development, constitute important physical evidence of Newcastle's medieval status and defensive infrastructure.

Newcastle upon Tyne town defences: section of curtain wall including Durham Tower and section of town ditch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1019279. View the official record →

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