Mediæval London, Volume 1: Historical & SocialBesant, Walter
History
Mediæval London, Volume 1: Historical & Social
Besant, Walter
London (England) -- History -- To 1500; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- To 1500
Just beyond the turn of the wall we come to Aldersgate. There appears
to be no tradition concerning the date of this gate. It was one of the
first four gates of the City; and it has been enlarged by the addition
of a great framework house on the south side, and another on the east
side, the latter of which is remarkable for the possession of a very
deep well within its walls. Outside the gate is yet another church of
St. Botolph. Beyond the church you may observe the modest buildings of
a Fraternity. It is an Alien House called the Brotherhood of St. Fabian
and St. Sebastian. Beyond the House of this Brotherhood are two or
three great houses belonging to nobles. The cluster of religious houses
in this neighbourhood may account for the number of houses which very
early began to grow up around them. Under the wall is the Hospital of
St. Bartholomew; beyond the Hospital is the Priory; beyond the Priory
is the House of the Carthusian Friars; and on the west of these are the
houses of the Knights Hospitallers and the Clerkenwell Nuns. Standing
on the wall we command an excellent view of these buildings: grouped
about in picturesque beauty, they stand among trees and gardens; beyond
them, close to the City wall, lies the level plain of Smithfield with
its trees and ponds, with its Horse Fair and its Cloth Fair, with its
race-course and its gibbet, the place of amusements, the place of
executions, the place of ordeal.
Beyond Aldersgate the wall runs west for a little, when it turns south
again and passes Newgate. This is a goodly and a strong gate, and
beside it stands the prison of which, at another time, we will speak at
length. As we have said, Newgate, like Bishopsgate, was not built upon
the site of the Roman Gate but near it. This is the traditional history
of the gate:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account