A Tale of Three Gateways

A Tale of Three Gateways. Wolfgate, Peppergate, and Newgate. You are standing on Newgate, one of the most recent gateways into the city centre., The earliest medieval gateway here was called Wolfeld's Gate, and was first recorded in the late 12th century. The original gateway may have dated to before 1066. The origins of its name are a mystery. All we know is that it is derived from a personal name with possible Scandinavian associations., In the late Middle Ages the gate belonged to the Corporation, and It was later leased to a glover. Wolfeld's Gate later became known as Peppergate., In 1573 the daughter of Alderman Rauff Aldersey defied her father and eloped through Peppergate, at night, to marry a common draper. Her father was furious and persuaded the city to lock the gate at night. Ever since, the local proverb 'when the daughter is stolen, shut the Peppergate' has been Chester's equivalent of 'closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.', The gateway was rebuilt many times, the last time being in 1768, and is now known by its old name of Wolfgate., Newgate , By the 1930s traffic congestion in this area had become particularly bad. A wider gateway was needed, and architect Sir Walter Tapper and his son Michael were commissioned to design a gate next to Wolfgate that provided better width and headroom. This neo-Gothic design is a fine example of its kind, and is a protected monument along with the rest of the City Walls. It was opened in 1938., Layers of history , From here you can see the Roman amphitheatre, the Roman angle tower, the Roman Gardens, medieval St John's Church and Georgian Dee House. Take the steps down beyond the tower to your right if you want to explore these wonderful historic buildings and monuments.