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Aldersgate was one of London’s four original gates (Stow 1598, sig. C7r), labelled Alders gate
on the Agas map. The gate was likely built into the Wall of London during the Roman Conquest, marking the northern entrance into the city.
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Aldersgate was one of London’s four original gates (Stow 1598, sig. C7r), labelled Alders gate
on the Agas map. The gate was likely built into the Wall of London during the Roman Conquest, marking the northern entrance into the city. Situated between Cripplegate and Newgate and south of St. Botolph Church, it divided Aldersgate Ward in two, placing half of the ward within the boundaries of the Wall and the other half without. Londoners and visitors alike would use Aldersgate street to access the gate and enter the city, after which the street split into St. Anne’s Lane and St. Martin’s le Grand, Aldersgate Ward’s primary throughway.
Aldersgate’s earliest recorded mention is a reference to Ealdredesgate
in
the very antiquitie of the gate it selfeand its status as an
eldergate of London (Stow 1598, sig. C7r). Harben, however, opposes
The name is almost certainly derived from the personal name ‘Ealdred’ or ‘Aidred’.
Harben lists the following spelling variants:
Aldredesgate | Aldredesgat | Aldridesgate | Aldretheggate | Aldrethesgate | Alresgate | Aldresgate | Aldreidesgate | Allereddesgate | Aldrichesgate | Aldersgate | Alcheresgate | Aldrichgate | Aldrisgate | Aldrichegate | Alderichesgate | Aldrechegate | Alderychgate | Alderichgate | Alderichegate | Alderesgate | Aldrychegate | Aldrychgate | Aldrychesgate | Aldrisshgate | Althergate | Altergate (BHO)
Aldersgate’s exact year of construction is unknown. Thornbury asserts that its Roman origins can be proven by the considerable Roman remains that have come to light in the neighbourhood from time to time
(Thornbury), and Harben notes that a Roman ditch
(Harben).
The first post-Roman additions to the gate were a lead covering and the incorporation of a small house for the gatekeeper in
Forty-eight years later, the gate was damaged in the Great Fire of
The facade of gate’s north side featured a central stone bas relief of
Over time, additions to the gate—including a timber frame and newer buildings with tile and stone flooring (Stow 1598, sig. C7r)—accompanied the growth of its cultural significance, though Thornbury describes its architecture as heavy and inelegant
(Thornbury).
Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century images of Aldersgate survive in numerous sources.
Aldersgate was a major route into London. The generous apartment space within the gate made it a hub for commercial and social activity. Printer
makes his entrance therefore at Aldersgate of set purpose, for though the streete be faire and spatious, yet few lightes in mistie euenings(Dekker).
Over time, the gate’s literary, political, and religious associations secured it a permanent spot in London’s cultural memory. In