Aldgate () was a gate in the
former defensive wall around the
City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
.
The gate gave its name to ''Aldgate High Street'', the first stretch of the
A11 road, that takes that name as it passes through the ancient, extramural
Portsoken Ward of the City of London.
There is an ancient ''Aldgate Ward'' inside the line of the former gate and wall, and a similarly ancient Portsoken Ward that lies just outside of it. However the use of the Aldgate and Portsoken Wards as everyday place names is very limited.
Consequently, the use of Aldgate as a place name is informal, and typically applies to the Portsoken Ward, especially the central area around Aldgate High Street.
Aldgate High Street is 2.3 miles (3.7 km) east of
Charing Cross.
Etymology
The etymology of the name "Aldgate" is uncertain. It is first recorded in 1052 as ''Æst geat'' ("east gate") but had become ''Alegate'' by 1108.
Writing in the 16th century,
John Stow derived the name from "Old Gate" (Aeld Gate). However, Henry Harben, writing in 1918, contended that this was wrong and that documents show that the "d" is missing in documents written before 1486–87. Alternative meanings include "Ale Gate" in connection with a putative ale-house or "All Gate" meaning the gate was free to all. Other possibilities canvassed by Harben include reference to a Saxon named "Ealh," or reference to foreigners ("el") or oil ("ele") or "awl". Gillian Bebbington, writing in 1972, suggests Alegate, Aelgate ("public gate") or Aeldgate ("Old Gate") as equally viable alternatives, while Weinreb and Hibbert, writing in 1983, revert to Stow's theory that the name means "Old Gate".
[ "Aldermary Churchyard – Aldgate Ward"]
''A Dictionary of London'' (1918), accessed 21 May 2007.
The gate
It is thought that a gate at Aldgate spanned the road to
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''.
Colchester occupies the ...
in the
Roman period, when London Wall was constructed. The gateway – which probably had two circular towers – stood at the corner of the modern Duke's Place, on the east side of the city, with a busy thoroughfare passing through it.
The gate was rebuilt between 1108 and 1147, again in 1215, and reconstructed completely between 1607 and 1609 "in a more classical and less functional style".
Like London's other gates, Aldgate was "fortified with porticullises and chained" in 1377 due to concerns about potential attacks by the French.
Aldgate's defensive functions are known to have been tested twice. Firstly during the
Great Rising in the summer of 1381 when thousands of insurgents from the surrounding region, assisted by sympathisers within and without, entered the City through Aldgate, unopposed. The second breach was during the
Siege of London, in the spring of 1471, when troops led by the
Bastard of Fauconberg forced the gate, but were penned in and defeated in the small open space inside the gate.
It has been argued that Aldgate's defenders deliberately allowed the vanguard of Fauconberg's men to through the gate in order that the portcullis could be lowered behind them; allowing the defenders to trap and
defeat in detail that proportion of the attackers.
While he was a customs official, from 1374 until 1386 - including the period of the Great Rising,
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
occupied apartments above the gate,
[ where he wrote some of his poems. London's aldermen had first conceived of renting unneeded space over the City gates earlier in the century. Although keenly sought after due to their location, the rooms "were built for military occupancy and remained rough-hewn ndnonprivate". Chaucer likely occupied the single tower on the south end of the gate. A 1585 sketch of Aldgate's north tower reveals an interior room of approximately ; its southern sibling probably had similar dimensions. The space would have been "cramped, cold, rudimentary in its sanitary arrangements, and (perhaps most seriously in the case of a writer) ill lit, even at midday".]
In his ''Survey of London'' (1598), John Stow wrote that Aldgate "hath had two pair of gates, though now but one; the hooks remaineth yet. Also there hath been two portcullisses; the one of them remaineth, the other wanteth, but the place of letting down is manifest".
The gate was removed in 1761 in order to improve traffic flow. The historical and cultural significance of the gate led local antiquarian Ebenezer Mussell to buy the gates stones (or some of them) and also the reliefs. The materials were used to extend his home at Bethnal Green. The reliefs were prominently displayed and the house renamed ''Aldgate House''. The house was in turn cleared to make way for development between 1807 and 1811. The site, on what is now known as Victoria Park Square has since been redeveloped again, and is now the site of the 'Church of our Lady of the Assumption'.
Aldgate locality
Geography
The originally Roman A11 Road, once known as the ''Great Essex Road'', is known as Aldgate High Street as it passes through the Portsoken Ward, and the use of Aldgate as a place name typically applies to this extramural area around Aldgate High Street. The High Street is around 290 metres (950 feet) long. Due to the road geography, and its historic interest, the Aldgate Pump, a few metres inside the position of the former gate is also usually included.
Immediately east of Aldgate High Street the road becomes known as Whitechapel High Street as it enters the Whitechapel
Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...
area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...
. The stretch of Whitechapel High Street extending as far as Gardiners Corner, and including Aldgate East tube station is also occasionally referred to as part of Aldgate.
History
The church of St Botolph's Aldgate stands just outside the position of the former gate, and was in place by 1115, though some traditions suggest an earlier origin.
In about 1420 the Whitechapel Bell Foundry was founded in Aldgate, but it later moved to nearby Whitechapel
Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...
. The foundry continued to supply bells to churches in the city, including the rebuilt church of St Botolph without Aldgate in 1744.
During the late 16th-century, an immigrant from Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
named Jacob Jansen (d. 1593) established a pottery producing English Delftware at Aldgate.
A Jewish community developed in the area after Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
invited the Jews to return to England. They established London's oldest synagogue at Bevis Marks in 1698,[Joseph Jacobs and Edgar Mels]
"Bevis Marks Synagogue"
'' Jewish Encyclopedia'', accessed 30 March 2010.
In 1773 '' Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral'' by Phillis Wheatley, the first book by an African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
was published in Aldgate after her owners could not find a publisher in Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Massachusetts.
Daniel Mendoza was born in 1764 to a Jewish family in Aldgate. He was author of ''The Art of Boxing'' and became an English boxing
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
champion from 1792 to 1795.
Aldgate Pump
From 1700 distances into Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
and Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
were measured from Aldgate Pump. The original pump was taken down in 1876, and a "faux" pump and drinking fountain was erected several yards to the west of the original; it was supplied by water from the New River.
In ancient deeds, ''Alegate Well'' is mentioned, adjoining the City wall, and this may have been the source (of water) for the original pump. A section of the remains of Holy Trinity Priory can be seen through a window in a nearby office block, on the north side.
Aldgate Square
In the 1970s, the historic street pattern in central Aldgate was altered to form one large traffic gyratory at the junction which included Whitechapel High Street and Commercial Road. This was followed by office development on the traffic island at the centre, and a network of underground subways was constructed to provide pedestrian access beneath the one-way system and to provide a link to the London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The Undergro ...
stations. This led to parts of Aldgate being protected in the Whitechapel High Street Conservation Area and there are numerous listed buildings.
Aldgate Square, a new public square sited between two heritage listed buildings, The Aldgate School and the church of St Botolph without Aldgate, was opened on 15 June 2018 by the Lord Mayor of the City of London. The cafe on the square, Portsoken Pavilion (named after the extramural Portsoken ward), was designed by Make, architects of the award-winning Visitor Information Centre at St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
.
The alignment of the former London Wall, and with it the start of the East End of London, is prominently marked by a course of paving on the western side of the square.
Public artworks
Notable sculptures in Aldgate are the bronze abstract "Ridirich" (1980) by Keith McCarter in the Square between Little Somerset Street and the bus garage on Aldgate High Street; "Sanctuary" (1985) outside the church of St Botolph without Aldgate made of fibreglass by Naomi Blake; "Column" (1995) cast in bronze by Richard Perry marking the entrance to Petticoat Lane Market at the southern end of Middlesex Street; and six hurtling bronze horses (2015) by Hamish Mackie in the piazza at Goodman's Fields.
Archaeological finds
In 2013 in Minories, Aldgate – on the last day of excavations – archaeologists found a 1,900-year-old Roman sculpture from the late 1st or early 2nd century AD in what was Roman London's "Eastern Cemetery". "The Minories Eagle", hailed by experts as one of the rarest and finest artefacts ever unearthed in Britain would have stood in a niche in a mausoleum above the tomb of a very powerful and wealthy man. Carved in Cotswold oolitic stone and rich in iconography it shows an exquisitely carved and outstandingly preserved eagle with a serpent in its beak. It was exhibited at the Museum of London in October 2013.
Ward of Aldgate
Aldgate is one of 25 wards in the City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
, each electing an Alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
to the Court of Aldermen and Commoners (the City equivalent of a councillor
A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
) to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only electors who are Freemen of the City are eligible to stand.
The Wards of London appear to have taken shape in the 11th century, before the Norman Conquest. Their administrative, judicial and military purpose made them equivalent to Hundreds in the countryside. The primary purpose of Wards like Aldgate, which included a gate, appears to be the defence of the gate, as gates were the weakest points in any fortification.
The historic City ward is bounded on the east by the line of the former London Wall, effectively parallel with Houndsditch, which separates it from the Portsoken ward.
Since major boundary changes in 2013, the ward is now bounded by White Kennet Street in the north and Crutched Friars in the south, taking in Leadenhall and Fenchurch Streets. It therefore now includes a small area outside the line of the former walls.
The Augustinians
Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
priory of Holy Trinity Aldgate was founded by Matilda, the wife of King Henry I, in 1108, on ground just inside the gate.
Within Aldgate ward, a short distance to the north of the gate, Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
settled from 1181, until their expulsion in 1290 by King Edward I. The area became known as Old Jewry. Jews were welcomed back by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
, and once again they settled in the area, founding London's oldest synagogue at Bevis Marks in 1698.
On 10 April 1992 the Provisional IRA
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
detonated a bomb close to the Baltic Exchange, severely damaging the historic building and neighbouring structures."Extreme restoration"
Megan Lane, 5 July 2007 (BBC News magazine), accessed 23 September 2007. 30 St Mary Axe (formerly the
Swiss Re Building) now occupies the site, and the Baltic Exchange is located at 38 St Mary Axe.
The ward today is dominated by the
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...
industry, with several brokers and underwriters based there; prominent buildings include the
Lloyd's Register building, 30 St Mary Axe, the
Willis Building and the
London Metal Exchange.
Three churches are located in Aldgate ward:
St. Botolph's,
St Katharine Cree (1631) and
St Andrew Undershaft
St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church (building), church in the City of London, the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is located on St Mary Axe, within the Aldgate ward, and is a rare example of a City church ...
(1532) – administered from
St. Helen's in
Lime Street ward.
The
Bevis Marks Synagogue (1699), the
oldest in the United Kingdom, is also located in the ward, on
Bevis Marks.
John Cass's school, where a plaque records the former course of London Wall, is sited on the north side of Aldgate (the street).
Transport
The nearest
London Underground station is
Aldgate on the
Circle
A circle is a shape consisting of all point (geometry), points in a plane (mathematics), plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the Centre (geometry), centre. The distance between any point of the circle and the centre is cal ...
and
Metropolitan lines; nearby is served today by the
District
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
and
Hammersmith & City lines. Nearby mainline railway stations are located at
Liverpool Street and
Fenchurch Street, and
Tower Gateway is the closest
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...
station.
See also
*
Aldersgate, one of the City of London's northern gates.
*
City gate
*
City wall
*
Battle of Cable Street
*
Stepney Historical Trust
References
External links
City of London CorporationMap of Aldgate ward (2003 —)
Aldgate Ward Elected MembersAldgate Ward Club– Historical Map and Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's London (Scholarly)
{{Authority control
Former gates
London Wall and its gates
Streets in the City of London
Town gates in England
Wards of the City of London