City gates
THERE WERE in the above wall, till of late years,
SIX GATES, answering to the same number of wards,
viz. Burgate, St. George's-gate, Ridingate, Wincheap.
gate, built in the room of the antient Worthgate,
Westgate, and Northgate.
BURGATE was formerly called St. Micheael's-gate,
from a church of that name once near it. This gate
was rebuilt of brick, with stone quoins, in 1475; the
principal benefactore, whose names were on it, being
John Franingam, (fn. 1) John Nethersole and Edmund
Minot. It was pulled down a few years ago, to make
the passage more commodious; the high road from
Sandwich to Deal leading through it.
ST. GEORGErS-GATE, formerly called Newingate,
and before that Ote-hill gate, from its leading to that
place, was built for a more direct passage into the
heart of the city from Dover, instead of Ridingate,
the more strait and antient way. It was built about
the year 1470, (fn. 2) and is a very handsome structure,
seemingly in imitation of Westgate, with two noble
toward of squared stones. The large reservoirs which
hold the water that supplies the city, being in the
upper part of it, has preserved this gate from destruction.
St George's gate
RIDINGATE was antiently written Radingate, by
which lay the portway or military way of the Romans, between Dover and Canterbury, the street
leading along which into the city, being at this time
called Watling-street, a name given to one of their
four famous ways or streets, which crossed this kingdom. This gate, a very ordinary structure, was pulled
down a few years ago, to make the opening more convenient for passengers. (fn. 3) The antient Roman gate
here, appears to have had two contiguous circular
arches, turned with British or Roman brick of those
times, remains of which were lately to be seen, though
the ground had been so much raised, that a stone at
the top of one of the piers, from which one of those
arches sprung, was but breast high from the road, and
the arch itself was in part cut away to give the necessary height to the late gate of much more moderen
construction. (fn. 4)
WINCHEAP-GATE was probably erected for public use, in the stead of the antient Worthgate, when
it was found inconvenient, that the public road of the
city should lead in a strait line so close by the castle,
through the midst of the bayle of it; the antient
Worthgate being after this, as it should seem, reserved
only for the use of the castle, and the public road
changed and made to take a circular course round
the outside of the castle wall and ditch, where it continued as such, till within these few years, when Worthgate was again opened for that purpose, as more commodious; but the ward of the city still bears the
name of Worthgate ward.
This gate of Wincheap was taken down with the
others above-mentioned, a few years ago, for public
convenience.
NORTHGATE is no more than a wide square space,
through which the road leads to the Isle of Thanet,
under the church of Northgate, and named so from
its situation in the northern part of the city.
At this gate, the mayor and corporation used to
receive the king, in their formalities, when he passed
through, after landing at Margrate, from the continent, as was frequently the case; and the recorder
making his speech of obedience and duty, the mayor
presented him with the keys.
WESTGATE was built by archbishop Sudbury, in
king Richard II.'s reign, in the room of the antient
one, which was become ruinous, over which there was
built a church. This gate, situated at the west end of
the city, through which the high road passes towards
London, is the largest and best built of any the city
has, making a very handsome appearance, standing
between two lofty and spacious round towers, erected
in the river, on the western side of it. It is built of
squared stone, and is embattled, portculliesed, and
machecollated, having a bridge of two arches, belonging to the archbishop, over the western branch of
the Stour, adjoining to it. Over this gate is the common gaol or prison, both for malefactors and debtors
within the jurisdiction of this city and county of it,
and has been so from the time of the building of the
present gate, but certainly so from the 31st of king
Henry VI. for then, as king Edward IV. in his charter, recites, he granted to the city by his charter, the
keeping of his gaol, at the Westgate of his city of Canterbury, for prisoners imprisoned within the city and
suburbs, for whatever crime or cause they should be
taken, to be detained in it by themselves or their officers. (fn. 5) The gates themselves of this, as well as of the
other two gates left standing, have been lately taken
away by the city, as supposed to be of no further use.
The arms of archbishop Juxon, with those of the see
of Canterbury, were carved on these gates here, as
well as on those of St. George's and Burgate; they
having been all new made and set up by that archbishop, at the Restoration, in the room of those destroyed and burnt by the Puritans, in 1648.
A north view of Westgate
Besides the gates above-mentioned, there was another, though not a principal one, called Queningate,
which has been stopped up for a great length of time,
and was so, as appears by the remains of it, at the time
the present city wall was built, probably in archbishop
Lanfranc's time, soon after the conquest. (fn. 6) Besides
these, there are two posterns in the city wall, one opposite the chief gate of St. Augustine's monastery and
at St. Mildred's church-yard; and there was a third
in Pound-lane, by the river Stour, running by Abbot's mill, which has been lately opened for carriages.