Construction work begins on Edgar Tower

This was originally the gateway to the monastery of St Mary, and known as St Mary’s Gate. The name Edgar Tower was probably coined during one of its many restorations, in which a stonemason cut the date 975 into the wall near the state of the Saxon King Edgar (the date of the king’s death), replacing a work inscription. The name has been in use since.

The main parts of the building were finished by 1347: it represented a significant enlargement of an older Norman gatehouse. The building work was completed after a licence to add crenelations (ramparts) was granted in 1368.