The Sally Port - Trust Annual Report 1969
The Trust has been concerned for some time about the fate icy of the Sally Port, one of the few remaining parts of the original Castle, apart from the Great Hall.
Members of the Trust will have been very interested in the excavations of the Castle this year when the foundations of the massive keep have been revealed. It is believed that this was about 90 ft. high, similar to Portchester. Also revealed was the position of the round tower, where it was seen that some of the buried facing stones were not weathered, appearing remarkably new and clean cut. It is hoped that these will remain visible when the new forecourt is completed.
The whereabout of part of the Sally Port had been known for many years, but it had been closed latterly because the vault had fallen, being insufficiently strong to support in one instance a lorry, and on another occasion a traction engine. The point where the Sally Port divides as it descends from the Keep is still largely intact.
The County Council has asked the architect of the Law Courts to incorporate this in his design for the forecourt and it is understood that the Sally Port will in future be a public means of access between levels. The holes in the walls from which the defensive beams could be slid across the passageway can still be seen.
In this area it is now understood that Nos. 75, 76, 77 and 78 High Street are not after all to be demolished on account of the Law Court plans. This is good news as these houses are important in preserving the country town appearance of the High Street at this point.