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Places in this section...
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Some History of our Town Wall....
Introduction - Building of the Wall The 12 Gates of our Town Wall Tour of our Town Wall remains.... Swanswell Gate Lady Herbert's Garden & City Wall Cook Street Gate Bishop Gate Watch Tower near Lamb Street Wall at Well Street Well Street Gate Hill Street Gate Wall at Bond's Hospital Wall at Fleet Street Spon Gate Greyfriars Gate Cheylesmore Gate Little Park Gate New Gate Wall at Gulson Road Gosford Gate Wall near Cox Street Mill Lane Gate Wall around Pool Meadow City Wall overlaid onto present day Coventry |
Hill Street Gate
The drawing on the left is a northwards looking view of the inside of Hill Street Gate. The building on the left is Bond's Hospital, seen in the next photo.
Hill Street Gate would have stood just where I was standing to take this photograph.
Wall at Bond's Hospital
As you cross over from Bond Street to the other side of Hill Street, you will arrive at Bond's Hospital. On the north side of the building (to your right) part of the old wall can be seen used in the structure of the almshouse.
Passing through the arched gateway adjacent to this old almshouse, you can cross the beautiful courtyard shared by Bond's and the old Bablake School, then reappear behind St. John's Church.
The next piece of wall is very close by and can be viewed from the junction of Fleet Street and Lower Holyhead Road through some railings. This is at the rear of Bond's Hospital and is pictured below.
Moving towards St. John's Church another piece of wall has been put to good use as part of the structure of number 190 Spon Street.....
Unfortunately, this is the last piece of wall to be seen until you reach the south east side of the old town. The next mile or so of city wall and the five grand gates protecting the south side of Coventry have been completely destroyed and no trace left to see.
Spon Gate
The piece of wall shown in the building above led directly into what was probably the grandest out of all the gates.... Spon Gate. (Originally known as Bablake Gate.)
This old engraving on the left depicts the complex structure which stood proudly alongside St. John's church at the end of Spon Street. The image was engraved by J. Greig from a drawing by J. Smith, and was published on the 1st July 1817. The view is of the outside of the gate from Spon Street looking in towards the town. St. John's church would be through the gate and on the left.
The lithograph on the right was made by Miss Eld and published by C. A. N. Rollason in 1840. It depicts the inside of Spon Gate and shows its close proximity to St. John's church, then known as Bablake church.
At the time the building of the wall was commenced, Spon Street was the name given to the whole length of road to the west of its junction with Hill Street and Smithford Street. However, sometime between 1411 and 1434, the short piece of road leading up to the 'inside' of the gate was renamed "Fleet Street".
Now follow the wall from Greyfriar's Gate to the London Road
Click here to see the exact route of the complete wall overlaid onto a present day map.