Restoration works to reopen Morgan's Mount to begin

17th century tower to be reopened to the public

11 July 2011

Works to restore Morgan’s Mount on Chester’s city walls and reopen it to the public are scheduled to begin on Monday 18 July.

Morgan's Mount in Water Tower Street is a tower structure which contains a chamber at the level of the walkway, with barred openings to the west and the north and two flights of stone steps leading up to the roof and an open terrace.

The Mount, which has been closed off to the public for a number of years, will undergo extensive restoration works to ensure that it safe for public access and the Roman wall’s rich history is preserved.

Commissioned by Chester Renaissance working in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council, the works will be carried out by Grosvenor Construction.

Chester Renaissance Chief Executive, Rita Waters, said: “Chester's city walls and towers are amongst the city's greatest assets, visited by over 2.5 million people annually.

“For this reason it is vitally important that we not only protect and maintain them but that we open up access wherever possible to the public to appreciate the rich history that they can share with us.

“I am delighted that Morgan’s Mount is to be restored to its former glory and reopened to allow everyone a glimpse in to the past.”

Constructed in 1645, during the Civil War siege of Chester, the Mount was built to act as an observational platform and gun placement and is named after Captain Edward Morgan, a royalist officer.

These extensive restoration works, which will continue until December, will see a short section of the walls close for safety reasons with a simple diversion route put in place to allow pedestrians to continue their walks along the city walls.

The works are part of Chester Renaissance’s ongoing Portico scheme – investing in the restoration and refurbishment of the City Walls Towers using appropriate ultra light weight building techniques and materials which will be promoted and replicated across Europe as exemplars of archaeological good practice.