5 /5 Peter Barton: 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.


