Wharfinger: Aldgate

By Giles Broadbent on March 11, 2010 10:14 AM |

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Aldgate was the easternmost gate of a number built by the Romans, one of seven whose names live on a modern map.

The original Aldgate linked the City of London and Whitechapel and sat in the London Wall. The wall was a form of defence constructed by the Romans and it is believed Aldgate spanned the road to Colchester.

Unlike the other city entrances there was no toll at Aldgate - so it was open to all, the original derivation of its name which is first recorded in the late 1400s.

The gate - in its third incarnation - was removed in 1761 to a temporary home in Bethnal Green but originally it was a grand edifice housing a number of apartments which were home between 1374 and 1386 to author Geoffrey Chaucer who was a customs official.

The Augustinian Priory of Holy Trinity Aldgate was founded by Queen Matilda, the wife of Henry I, in 1108, on ground just inside the gate.

Aldgate has given its name to one of 25 City wards, which has become home to the insurance services with its landmarks the Gherkin and the Lloyd's buildings. A synagogue reflects the historically strong Jewish community.