Whitefriars Gatehouse

Whitefriars Gatehouse is a Grade II listed building, situated at the bottom of Much Park Street, just off Earl Street and London Road in Coventry. This 14th century sandstone structure originally served as the postern (outer) gatehouse to the Whitefriars Monastery, and is thought to have been the only controlled access to this site. In the 1430s the town wall was constructed, which blocked any access to the monasteries other internal gate, which was subsequently destroyed during the Blitz. During the 18th and 19th centuries, extensions were built on and near this site which became known as ‘The Rose’. The Second World War destroyed many of the surrounding buildings and extensions, leaving the Gatehouse and a fragment of ‘The Rose’ left standing. It was taken over as a Toy Museum in the 1970s by the late Ron Morgan, who was a long-standing member of Coventry City Council during the 1960s, and 70s. He campaigned passionately for the preservation of Coventry’s heritage and helped restore Whitefriars Gate. Historic Coventry Trust’s proposals for the site are to reintroduce residential units into the sandstone structure and to provide other residential.

Find out more on our website: https://www.historiccoventry.org.uk/project/whitefriars-gatehouse/