Other places in "Now & Then"... Search this site:

Arts School, Ford Street Bishop Street Bishop Street Post Office Blue Coat School & Ruins Broadgate from Holy Trinity Church Broadgate Special Page Burges from Bishop Street Burges from Cross Cheaping Butcher Row, Great Butcher Row, Little Cheylesmore Manor House Coat of Arms Bridge Cook Street gate Council House Cox Street Far Gosford Street Fleet Street Ford's Hospital Golden Cross & Pepper Lane Greyfriars Lane The Grove Guildhall & 22 Bayley Lane Hales Street Herbert Art Gallery & Museum Hertford Street Hertford Street from Broadgate High Street from Broadgate High Street from Earl Street Hill Street, Bablake & Bond's Hippodrome, old Humber Motor Works Ironmonger Row Jordan Well & Earl Street Jordan Well & Gosford Street Kenilworth Road Mill Dam & Whittle Arch Much Park Street Naul's Mill Park Old Grammar School Old Rope Walk Palace Yard Pool Meadow Precinct & Old Coventry Aerial View Precinct, upper Precinct, west view Priory Row Priory Street, lower end Priory Street, upper end Queen Victoria Road Flood of 1900 Railway Station, Eaton Road Railway Station - the Platform Smithford Way Spon End Arches Spon Street Flood of 1900 St. John's Church, Fleet Street St. Michael's Avenue St. Michael's Ruins St. Michael's Spire from Pepper Lane Stoke Green & Pool Swanswell Gate Swanswell Pool Swimming Baths, Priory Street Trinity Church Trinity Lane & the Free Library Trinity Lane from Priory Row Trinity Street & Hales Street War Memorial Park Warwick Row to Hertford St & Warwick Lane Well Street from Hales Street West Orchard Wheatley Street Schools

Cook Street gate Camera No. 24

And now here's a triple "now and then" helping of one of our two remaining city gates!
Although the surroundings have changed out of all recognition, at least the gate itself has been tastefully restored. The quaint cobbled street has disappeared, along with the old houses and "Ye Old Tower Inn" built into the side of the gateway and utilising part of the old city wall..... all we have now to keep the gate company is a modern 'charisma free' office type building and a box of gritting salt!

The view is from Cook Street itself, looking out of town and it is noticable that the restoration last done in 1931 includes reinstating the battlements and rebuilding the window as well as adding a gargoyle which may or may not have existed on the original.

The 1930's postcard in the centre shows that restoration can be carried out in keeping with existing surroundings, by improving an old monument, and building pleasant gardens, without having to needlessly destroy charismatic properties like those on the left of the street. What on earth was our post-war council thinking?

Further back in time, an engraving from around 1805 shows the gate still defended by a moat which ran under a small stone bridge leading to the gate from the outside. How times have changed!

You can see that engraving plus much more information about this and other gates on the City Wall and Gates pages.

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Coat of Arms Bridge < - Cook Street Gate - > Council House

Broadgate Special Page

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