West Gate - Canterbury, Kent, UK - Official Local Tourism Attractions on Waymarking.com

Canterbury was a walled city and this was one of seven gates that allowed access through the city walls in to and out of the city. The gate stands sixty feet high and is the largest surviving city gate in England. It has served a number of purposes, as explained in the extract below.

The road splits at the West Gate. Traffic entering the city passes through the arch in the centre of the gate and traffic moving west, out of the city, passes to the south  of the gate. Footpaths pass each side of the West Gate for pedestrians.

The Britain Express website tells us:

One of the iconic landmarks of Canterbury, the old West Gate stands at the west end of the High Street, beside the River Stour. Generations of medieval pilgrims passed under the gatehouse arch on their way to the shrine of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Road traffic now flows through the arch - its a bit of an eye-opener to see a modern coach navigate the narrow opening!

The West Gate was built by Archbishop Sudbury to replace an earlier Roman gate through the city walls. The West Gate was finished in 1380, but in the following year Sudbury himself met a vioent end at the hands of rebellious peasants during Wat Tyler's Peasant's Revolt.

For many years the West Gate served as the town prison, connected by a walkway to the police station next door. Above the portcullis slot is a 'condemned cell', where prisoners awaiting execution were held.

A bronze 18th century medallion was found beneath the floorboards of the prison floor during recent repairs.

The upper floor of the gatehouse is given over to a small West Gate Museum. Here you will find armour and weapons used by defenders of Canterbury from the medieval period to World War II. Children can dress up in replica armour, and see the old prison cells within the gatehouse tower.

Immediately beside the tower is a lovely riverside garden, where you can take a punt tour along the River Stour.

The Canterbury Historical and Archeaological Society website tells us about the West Gate:

Introduction
Westgate is the largest surviving medieval gate in England and visitors can still enter the  city  through its arch as they have done since the mid 1380s. However, from  late 2011 the city council are  consulting on proposals to restrict access to buses and taxis only.

History
The first gate was built here between 270-290 AD when the Romans decided to exploit the river as a natural defence. In later Anglo-Saxon times the guard chamber above accommodated the church of the Holy Cross. In 1379 the Holy Cross church was moved to the adjacent site it now occupies and the the current gate was built as part of the strengthening of the city walls to counter the threat of a French invasion during the Hundred Years War. It was partly funded by Archbishop Simon Sudbury, Chancellor of England, who was responsible for raising the punitive Poll Tax to fund the war. He was murdered at the Tower of London during the Peasant's revolt against the tax in 1381.  It was completed in the mid 1380s as the largest of the city's medieval gates and the design, probably by the King's master mason Henry Yevele, included the first gun loops in England.
 
In 1453 Henry VI permitted the city to keep a gaol at the Westgate, while Canterbury Castle remained the county gaol.  The current perpendicular east window was added around 1491 to provide light into the  guardhouse. Access to the city through the gate was over a drawbridge until the mid 16th century when it was replaced by  a substantial twin-arched crossing of Kent ragstone. In 1648 Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarians burnt down the wooden gates in response to riots in the city over the banning of Christmas Day, which also led to demolition of the wall from Westgate to the Castle. The wooden gates were replaced in 1660 and they continued to be closed at nights until their final removal in 1793 when the wooden cell doors and  linings which can still be seen today were also installed.
Between 1823-29 the prison was deemed inadequate so the remaining short sections of wall attached to the drum towers were removed and the current Pound Lane gaol and the  high level connecting bridge were constructed. At the same time St Peter's Place was created and the bridge widened to allow an additional route around the gate. It was during this period that the Westgate was threatened with demolition, only saved by the mayor's casting vote. In 1865 the Victorian Prison Act led to closure of the gaol after only forty years and the  Pound Lane gaol was converted to a police station. The city council took back Westgate for storage of archives in 1870, opened it to summer visitors in 1878 and as a museum in 1906.  Pound Lane Police Station was closed in 1965 and East Kent Music school opened there by Ted Heath the following year.

In 2009 the museum was under threat of closure  by the council but funding was provided for two years in order to seek solutions with other organisations. As a result Westgate Towers Museum has been re-opened in April 2011 under the directorship of Charles Lambie who has refurbished and extended the museum to include the adjoining former 1830s gaol and a cafe.

The West Gate is Grade I listed with the entry at the English Heritage website telling us:

The only remaining gate of the City. 1380. Ragstone gateway with ribbed vaulting and chamber over flanked by 2 circular towers on its west front. Machicolation between the towers, Castellated parapet. Loop lights except on the east side which has a 2-light window with mullion and transom and an iron grill on the lst floor. Buttresses at file north east and north west corners Stair turret on north side leads to a 1st floor chamber, used as a prison in the C19. The Guardroom has a fine C19 fireback, dated 1649 with lion, Tudor Rose and fleur de lis motifs. Public executions were carried out outside the West Gate.

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