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| The City Walls Of Waterford |
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| 1. Introduction |
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Yes, Waterford was a fortified city. Every little town that had a wall around it of ten feet high with a few portholes for firing arrows, or discharging old flintlock guns through it, was in old times said to be "fortified." A few gates and a few towers to defend them and the city wherever it stood were considered impregnable. What a world of labour was rendered useless and purposeless by the advance in heavy guns, which can blow to pieces at long range the papier-mache fortifications, which were the consuming pride of the early founders of our cities. Now, as we are going to step out, and look up those grim fortifications in Waterford, and take a half-hour's recreation for the purpose, where is it best to begin? Of course, at the reputed start point of everything Waterfordian-Reginald's Tower. If we believe the story that Sitiricus, the Dane, founded Waterford, 853, it took a century and a half to have the city assume the proportions which made fortifications necessary, for in 1003 we find Reginald, the Dane, founding Reginald's Tower. As the maps of the city show, the Danish wall formed a triangle. It ran from Reginald's Tower to St. Martin's Castle, the site of which is now the new laundry of the Lady Lane Convent, at the top of Spring Garden Alley, this being one side of the triangle. Standing on the top of Reginald's Tower this wall may be observed at the back of the houses on the Mall, aiming towards the back portion of the City Hall, thence for Colbeck's Gate, after which it runs between the lane known as Spring Garden Alley and Lady Lane, towards St, Martin's Castle. The second side of the triangle ran from St. Martin's Castle across Peter's Street, at the back of the houses in Broad Street, enclosing within the city the old Dominican Abbey, and joining with Turgesius' Tower which stood at the corner of Baron Strand Street. The base of the triangle ran along the quay, from Reginald's Tower to Turgesius' Tower, at the corner of Baron Strand Street, on the ground now covered by the splendid row of business houses, which line the quay. Enlarged - But in the reign of King John the City of Waterford spread its wings. In 1211 the foundation of the wall which enlarged the Danish town to the dimensions of the English town was laid. If we liken King John to a boy who had the triangle A.B C. on his slate, and placing his pencil at the vertex B, went left and right with an irregular curve which lie joined to C, adding half as much more space to the triangle, we will have the enlargement illustrated. This new wall started from the vertex of the triangle which encompassed the Danish town, viz., St. Martin's Castle, and went towards Parnell Street, crossing by the Young Men's Society, down by the new chapel of St. John's to St. John's Gate, and thence turning to Castle Street. From the western end of Castle Street it proceeded in an almost straight line to St. Patrick's Gate, and from this point it may be said to have roughly formed an irregular curve so as to unite with Turgesius Tower at the corner of Baron Strand Street.
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| Author : P. M. Egan Published Online : 25 November 2004 |
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Select a period in Waterford history and read articles relating to that era. You can also browse articles by clicking on the graphical timeline.
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