These are five stones of the original six which mark the extent of the medieval town. The present stones were replacements, installed in 1700. Even though in 1350 King Edward III sent instructions to the Bailiff of Guernsey to build a wall around the town, no evidence has yet been found to suggest that there ever was a wall which joined up the stones, or that the stones marked gateways into the town.
Opposite stone no. 5 was a fort which defended the southern access to the town, called the Tour Beauregard.
Also near stone no.5 are Tower Hill Steps, where witches were burned in the 16th and 17th centuries. A plaque commemorates one particularly grisly burning.
At the northern end of the town, near stone no. 2 was the Tour Gand, another fortification built to afford protection from attack by the French.
Stone no 4 stood at the foot of Rosemary Lane, once the town’s red light quarter.