2023
SP3379 : Swanswell Gate, Hales Street, Coventry
taken 1 year ago, near to Coventry, England
Swanswell Gate, Hales Street, Coventry
The gate and City Wall to North are Grade II Listed, the wall being a Scheduled Monument. Historic England date the gate to around 1395 and describe the walls as late 14th century. It is recorded that the mayor of Coventry, Richard Stoke, laid the first stone in the walls in 1356. However the plaque states the gate as 'Completed circa 1440' and Austin's Monthly Magazine claims 'Swanswell Tower of today was not built until the other tower was pulled down'. A scar indicates a previous wall and apparently the wall was diverted in 1462 at request of the Prior to include the fishponds and St. Osburg's Pool. Called Priorie Gate in 1518 and in 1748-9, it was also known from 19th century as Swanswell Gate. When Hales Street was laid out in 1848 through the undeveloped Pool Meadow area the gate was by-passed. By 1870 of the original twelve there were only two extant gates. Swanswell Gate was presented to the city by Sir Alfred Herbert in 1931/2 and restored to a dwelling. Previously used as a dwelling with a shop below in 1986 planning approved change of use to use as pottery workshop. In 2019 planning approved change of use to a residential/tourist accommodation and Historic Coventry Trust restored both this gate and Cook Street Gate as holiday apartments, removing them from the at Risk Register.
This page has been
viewed about
20 times