City Gates - Swanswell Gate

Swanswell Gate and Cook Street Gate are the only two surviving gatehouses that once punctuated Coventry’s medieval city wall. Construction on the city wall began in 1356 and was initially completed in 1400, although ongoing alterations to the route meant that it was not completed in its final form until 1534. The wall was just over two miles long, 12ft high and 9ft thick and originally incorporated 12 large gatehouses to control passage in and out of the city.

Completed around 1385 Cook Street Gate was one of the earlier gates to be built, and Swanswell Gate was completed in 1440. Swanswell Gate was originally known as Priory Gate as it used to serve as the entrance to the prior’s land. During the Civil War Coventry supported the Parliamentarians, and in 1642 denied Charles I entry into the city. After the restoration of the monarchy, Charles II ordered the city walls to be destroyed. The wall was mostly demolished in 1662, leaving only the gatehouses intact. A civil survey of 1748 shows that the 12 gates were still standing, however by the end of the 18th century most had been lost as the city developed and only Swanswell and Cook Street Gates remained.

Swanswell Gate was converted into a cottage in the mid-19th century. The roof was raised and replaced, windows were created, and the large archway was filled in in 1856. In 1913, Cook Street Gate was given to the city of Coventry by local philanthropist Colonel Sir William Fitzthomas Wyley, and was restored in 1918. Swanswell Gate, having been used first as a cottage then a shop. was later acquired by the city in 1931 from Sir Alfred Herbert. The gatehouse battlements were restored, and the roof that was added when the gate was used as a residence was removed. Today, the city gates stand in the city centre separated by one of the last surviving sections of medieval city wall and surrounded by Lady Herbert’s Garden. The gates are Grade I listed and are being brought back into use by Historic Coventry Trust.

Find out more on our website: https://www.historiccoventry.org.uk/coventry-city-gates-a-history/