The Double Tower


In Castle St. there is a stretch of city wall with gun or small cannon openings which can clearly be seen on the inner section of the wall. The wall still retains the remains of the wall walk. 

The Double Tower is so called because of the interior which consists of two chambers, one a passageway to Benedictine Priory; the other larger chamber housed a stairway for access to the upper floors and battlements. 

The church of St. John's Priory was within the walled city, the priory lands and it's chief buildings were located outside the walls. 

The Double Tower provided secure access to the church for the monks and those residing on their lands who went there to worship. 

During the Cromwellian siege of the city in 1649 this section of the city walls were pounded with cannon. The Double Tower was half filled with earth to help take impact on the cannon. 

Continuing up Castle St. the section of the wall that projects outwards is known as the Ramparts. 
The Ramparts belong to the age of gunpowder and acted as a platform for heavy guns. 
Fear of a Spanish invasion during the 1580s and 1590s resulted in an upgrading of the city's defenses and is thought that the Ramparts date from this period.