J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

The main gateway to Lewes Castle, the Barbican Gate, is Turner’s focus here. The gothic arch belongs to the fourteenth-century gate while the rounded arch seen through it is that of the original Norman gate. High up on the gate below three small arches he has inscribed the figure ‘5’. This is a note to himself indicating the number of these arches, which stand for the gate’s machicolations, gaps in the masonry through which defenders could fire at intruders. There are in fact six of these openings, though Turner’s view of the gate may have been slightly obscured by the row of buildings directly perpendicular to it. The frontage of these building are possibly indicated by Turner’s vertical pencil lines to the right of the gate.