See how Westgate Canterbury changed between around 1890 and 2024. Drag the slider to compare the historic photograph with the modern view.
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In 1379, Archbishop Simon Sudbury commissioned the construction of the Westgate, replacing an earlier Roman gate, to bolster Canterbury's defences against French invasions during the Hundred Years' War. Completed in the mid-1380s, this 60-foot-high gatehouse, built of Kentish ragstone, is the largest surviving medieval city gate in England. It features two drum towers connected by a central passageway, equipped with a portcullis, drawbridge, and gun loops added in the 15th century. The gate also housed a prison from the 15th to the 19th century. Today, it stands as a Grade I listed building and houses the West Gate Towers Museum, offering panoramic views of the city from its rooftop. (en.wikipedia.org)
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