Brown's Gatehouse (also known as the Dean's Eye) in Wells,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England, is an entrance gateway into a walled precinct, the Liberty of St Andrew, which encloses the twelfth century

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, the Bishop's Palace, Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral. Brown's Gatehouse has been designated as a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

and

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. The Brown's Gatehouse was built around 1451, by Bishop

Thomas Beckington Thomas Beckington (also spelt Beckynton; c. 139014 January 1465) was the Bishop of Bath and Wells and King's Secretary in medieval England under Henry VI. Life Beckington was born at Beckington in Somerset, and was educated at Winchester ...

(also spelt Beckyngton), at a cost of 200

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...

. It provides an entrance to the Cathedral Precincts from Sadler Street. It is named after the shoemaker Richard Brown, who was the next door tenant in 1553 In the 19th century it was known as The Dean's Eye. It is a two-storey archway of

Doulting Doulting is a village and civil parish east of Shepton Mallet, on the A361, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. History The parish of Doulting was part of the Whitstone Hundred. The parish includes the village of Bodden, which wa ...

ashlar stone, with a Welsh slate roof with coped gables behind

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

s. The arch has a ribbed vault. There is a doorway within the porch to a staircase to the first floor.

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{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1451 Grade I listed buildings in Mendip District History of Somerset Wells Cathedral Scheduled monuments in Mendip District Gatehouses (architecture) Buildings and structures in Wells, Somerset