Bewdley’s four gatehouses were constructed around 1450 in the town of Bewdley, Worcestershire. They were large timber buildings, designed to collect tolls and protect the borough. They survived until the end of the 18th and the early 19th century, when they were all destroyed.
History
In the 15th century, Bewdley was a prosperous and growing town. Under the influence of Richard, the Duke of York, the borough was redeveloped around 1450, with a new bridge and a grid system of roads.
Four new gates were built as part of this work: Bridge Gate, Dog Lane Gate, Tinkers Gate and Welch Gate. These were large timber gatehouses, with space for rooms above the gate itself. Bridge Gate was probably constructed on or beside Bewdley Bridge; in 1483 the bridge was rebuilt, with the gatehouse in the middle of it. A town ditch may have linked the Dog Lane, Tinkers and Welch gates.
The gates may have had a defensive function, but would also have enabled the collection of tolls – Bewdley was then an important crossing point across the River Severn, and a great deal of traffic came through the town. The gates were strengthened during the English Civil War of the 1640s, and continued to be used as turnpike gates into the 18th century.
None of the gatehouses now survive. Bridge Gate was destroyed along with the bridge in 1798. Welch Gate was eventually used as slum housing, until it was demolished in 1824; Dog Lane Gate followed in 1831. The date of Tinkers Gate’s destruction is unknown.
Bibliography
- Burton, John R. (1883) A History of Bewdley: With Concise Accounts of Some Neighbouring Parishes. London, UK: William Reeves.
- Buteux, V., (1995) Archaeological assessment of Bewdley (and Wribbenhall), Hereford and Worcester. Worcestershire County Council Archaeological Service internal report, Number 298.
- Page, William and J. W. Willis-Bund (eds). (1924) A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 4. London, UK: Victoria County History.
Attribution
The text of this page is licensed under under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Images on this page include those drawn from the Geograph website, as of 27 May 2020, and attributed and licensed as follows: adapted from “Reconstruction of Bewdley Bridge“, author David Stowell, released under CC BY-SA 2.0.