The Town Walls Alongside Black Friars are the old town walls of Newcastle. Parts of the walls still survive today and include a number of towers. The original structure was started in 1265, but was not completed until about half way through the 14th Century. The walls were two miles in length and encompassed the whole of the medieval town but they did not form a complete circle as they started and finished on the banks of the River Tyne. The finished structure was regarded as one of the finest town walls in Europe and was between 14 and 25ft high and 7 - 10ft thick. There are various areas of the wall still surviving today but the most complete section is the area known as 'West Walls' behind Stowell Street. This section has had the defensive outer ditch recreated, which shows how much of an asset the walls once were.