The Gates Of The City Of London 

rob28803 I thought this too. Any particular reason why all the gates got pulled down during this time period?

Yes, Im wondering why several gates were lost between 1760 - 71. I can guess they’d become major obstructions in the rapidly-growing metropolis.

The gates were demolished as part of a road widening scheme. They were just too narrow as the population of London outside the walls grew.

rob28803:.... to destroy all those gates would have been a huge project, something definately going on!!!!....the 1700s version of crossrail...lol

I was about to say the same. I wonder why they demolished the gates, it’s intriguing.

thanks Peter, lovely feedback! appreciated.

@@Londonistvids you missed out the most important gate.

Not a little, actually. Paris demolished its walls just over a century ago. Before the rise of Romanticism (and its subsequent interconnection with nationalism) nobody genuinely cared much about relics and artifacts, aside from some key ecclesiastical objects. The appearance of the virtue of authenticity, so to speak, is even more recent phenomenon well-established only after the onslaught of public housing, public highways, and other large-scale post-war construction projects.

@@ramzanninety-five3639 They completely knocked down the old Euston station, and that was in the 1960s. A lot of people date the modern historic preservation movement, at least in the Anglosphere, to the loss of Euston station in the UK and the demolition of Penn Station in New York, which happened around the same time. When the forces of progress came for St Pancras station in the UK and Grand Central in NYC, they faced a huge public backlash and since then major public buildings have usually been preserved.

The nature of London means that although we have some wonderful, ancient monuments the city itself is a fast moving and ever evolving city that cares little for the past.

Ramzan Ninety-five of course there is no lasting city in this life. Should we then put our hope and faith in the one to follow? Yes. Breeze blocks never did it for me anyway, although I am sure their intentions are well meaning, affordable housing etc etc.

Ramzan Ninety-five I live in a city in Northern Ireland. It’s the only complete walled city in Europe. The walls were built in the 1600’s and all still stand and are a tourist attraction. There are several gates in and out of the city centre, and in side there’s several shops and businesses, hotels, and even a shopping centre. It’s pretty cool!

Steve Morton Yes! I got it right!

Apparently the song was adapted from the words on a 19th century flier that John Lennon had acquired. In other words, it was a real advertisement.

@@clemstevenson : sure thing. I've a reprint of that very poster on my wall... "LATE NIGHT BUT THREE for the BENEFIT OF MR. KITE, Mr J. HENDERSON..." etc.

@@jeanbonnefoy1377 Yes, the source material for songs can be a fascinating subject.

Rhymes with: "The Hendersons will dance and sing as Mr Kite flies through the ring. Don't be late!"

Try facadism!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nM5CMUeiN10.html

Peter Acroyd's Biography of London is amazing if you wish to know more.

heya! indeed... there's a walk you can do (as shown in the video), which is fantastic to do, following where the wall used to be. do it sometime! www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Londons-Roman-City-Wall/

It's the remains of a round tower that was part of the Roman wall. Only part of it is Roman though - it was added to later in the medieval era before it fell into ruin.

Or Tenby in Wales

Road widening

That's what I wondered.

There’s lots of references to suggest the gate was called Aldred’s Gate.👍

I'm sure I've seen references to Aldermansgate

There was another gate where prostitutes hung out called Spunkcunt gate. Obviously it's never mentioned now.

Yeah I think it might be based on the anglo-saxon word for nobleman - Alderman.

Even though the word may have its origins in old norse for road or path, it was also used to describe the gap in a wall or stockade that a road or path passed through. Over centuries usage of words from the same root word evolve differently in different communities. This is demonstrated frequently among different dialects within the country. Because York was in the Danelaw (approximately the modern day counties of Leicester, York, Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, Essex, Cambridge, Suffolk, Norfolk, Northampton, Huntingdon, Bedford (North of the Great Ouse), Hertford, Middlesex, and Buckingham) and London wasn't. That is why there are many different place name styles, words and language usages between the two areas of England. It is really noticeable even today in Bedfordshire where the villages North of the Great Ouse are completely different in character to those South of the Great Ouse.