Sallyport Tower

Sallyport Tower (aka Wallknoll Tower). In 1827 Eneas Mackenzie wrote: "Wall Knoll Tower, now called Carpenters' Tower, because the company of Carpenters or Shipwrights meet in it, "was," says Bourne, "one of the towers of the Old Romans. This company, in the year 1716, built upon the under part of it a very grand and stately square tower, adorned at the top corners with 4 fair turrets, built in the form of a lanthorn." He adds, on the authority of a MS. intitled, "Lib. de Reb. Novocastri," that, "before the taking down of the top of the old tower, it was much of the same size, model, and stone, with the tower of Routchester, in Northumberland, which was certainly one of the towers belonging to the Picts-Wall." The ancient postern gate in this tower was the usual passage of those divisions of the garrison that so frequently sallied out, and attacked the besieging army during the civil wars. It is probably from this circumstance that it is called the Sally-Port Gate."