West Gate (also Barre Gate), Ipswich was part of the medieval town defences of
Ipswich, a prominent town in
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
,
England. It was located at the western end of the main
thoroughfare running east–west through the original settlement and which provided a focus for habitation since the eighth century.
Although demolished in the 1780s, it has lent its name to West Gate Street,
Westgate Ward, Ipswich and
St Margaret's and Westgate Division, Suffolk.
Medieval origins
In medieval times it was known as Barre Gate, and is labelled such on
John Speed
John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.S. Bendall, 'Speed, John (1551/2–1629), historian and cartographer', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004/ ...
's
Map of Ipswich (1610). The Latin equivalent of that name – ''portas barratas'' – appears on a deed dating to 1343.
In 1352
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
granted a
licence to crenellate Gippewico (Ipswich) to the ''Homines de Gippewico''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:West Gate, Ipswich
History of Ipswich
Buildings and structures in Ipswich