The Saint Laurence Gate is a barbican which was built in the 13th century as part of the walled fortifications of the medieval town of Drogheda in Ireland. It is a barbican or defended fore-work which stood directly outside the original gate of which no surface trace survives.[1] It has been described as one of the finest of its kind,[2] and is designated as a national monument.[3] The original names for Laurence Street and Saint Laurence Gate were Great East Street and Great East Gate, respectively. In the 14th century, the street and gate were renamed because they led to the hospital of Saint Laurence, which stood close to the Cord church.[4]
The structure consists of two towers, each with four floors, joined by a bridge at the top, and an entrance arch at street level. Entry is gained up a flight of stairs in the south tower. There is a slot underneath the arch from where a portcullis originally could be raised and lowered.
Historians have wondered why such a large barbican was built in the east of the town, when the main artery through the town has always been north/south. For comparison, a similar barbican in Canterbury is less than half the height of Saint Laurence Gate. However, from the top of the Gate, the estuary of the Boyne and a four-mile stretch of river from there to Drogheda can be observed.[5] This is therefore the only point in the town with a clear view of a potential sea invasion. The earliest pictures of Laurence's Gate show that there was a raised lookout platform at the top of the south tower to provide an even higher vantage point.[6][7][not specific enough to verify]
A portion of the town wall remains to the south of Saint Laurence's Gate. North of Laurence's Gate, the wall ran up Palace St/King St where the footpath is today. The depth of the basements of the houses and the Centre for Continuing Education on King Street suggest the presence of a deep trench outside the wall.[original research?] Over the centuries, as the walls and gates fell into disrepair, the rubble stones were reused in later buildings. For example, the house and walls at the corner of Laurence Street and Palace Street and stone walls in Francis Street. Older pictures show that a toll booth and gate house remained until the early 19th century. The shop beside Laurence's Gate was a bicycle shop in the early 1900s. The green letter box dates from a time when there was a post office there.
Eventsedit
Music at the Gate is held during the warmer months of the year. A variety of performances are hosted by the nonprofit Music at the Gate organisers.
Galleryedit
Close up of the gate.
Drogheda's town wall running beside St. Laurence Gate at Featherbed Lane.
The gate viewed from the top of Constitution Hill.
View point in the centre of the gate.
Referencesedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Laurence's Gate, Drogheda.
^Wakeman, William F (1995) [1848 original published by James McGlashan, Dublin]. Archaeologica Hibernica - A Hand-book of Irish Antiquities. Reprint by Bracken Books. Chap. 4, especially p. 144. ISBN1-85891-256-3.
^* Irish Architectural Archive, 'A small but charming place' Ref Francis Place, 1698
^Willem Van Der Hagen, 1720 (Beaulieu House), Ricardelli, 1782 (Highlanes Gallery)
April 14, 2024
saint, laurence, gate, barbican, which, built, 13th, century, part, walled, fortifications, medieval, town, drogheda, ireland, barbican, defended, fore, work, which, stood, directly, outside, original, gate, which, surface, trace, survives, been, described, fi. The Saint Laurence Gate is a barbican which was built in the 13th century as part of the walled fortifications of the medieval town of Drogheda in Ireland It is a barbican or defended fore work which stood directly outside the original gate of which no surface trace survives 1 It has been described as one of the finest of its kind 2 and is designated as a national monument 3 The original names for Laurence Street and Saint Laurence Gate were Great East Street and Great East Gate respectively In the 14th century the street and gate were renamed because they led to the hospital of Saint Laurence which stood close to the Cord church 4 Saint Laurence GateGeata LabhraisFormer namesGreat East GateGeneral informationTypeBarbicanAddressSt Laurence StreetTown or cityDroghedaCountryIrelandCoordinates53 42 57 N 6 20 49 W 53 7159 N 6 3470 W 53 7159 6 3470Completedc1280OwnerOffice of Public WorksWebsiteSt Laurence Gate Contents 1 Structure 2 Events 3 Gallery 4 ReferencesStructure editThe structure consists of two towers each with four floors joined by a bridge at the top and an entrance arch at street level Entry is gained up a flight of stairs in the south tower There is a slot underneath the arch from where a portcullis originally could be raised and lowered Historians have wondered why such a large barbican was built in the east of the town when the main artery through the town has always been north south For comparison a similar barbican in Canterbury is less than half the height of Saint Laurence Gate However from the top of the Gate the estuary of the Boyne and a four mile stretch of river from there to Drogheda can be observed 5 This is therefore the only point in the town with a clear view of a potential sea invasion The earliest pictures of Laurence s Gate show that there was a raised lookout platform at the top of the south tower to provide an even higher vantage point 6 7 not specific enough to verify A portion of the town wall remains to the south of Saint Laurence s Gate North of Laurence s Gate the wall ran up Palace St King St where the footpath is today The depth of the basements of the houses and the Centre for Continuing Education on King Street suggest the presence of a deep trench outside the wall original research Over the centuries as the walls and gates fell into disrepair the rubble stones were reused in later buildings For example the house and walls at the corner of Laurence Street and Palace Street and stone walls in Francis Street Older pictures show that a toll booth and gate house remained until the early 19th century The shop beside Laurence s Gate was a bicycle shop in the early 1900s The green letter box dates from a time when there was a post office there Events editMusic at the Gate is held during the warmer months of the year A variety of performances are hosted by the nonprofit Music at the Gate organisers Gallery edit nbsp Close up of the gate nbsp Drogheda s town wall running beside St Laurence Gate at Featherbed Lane nbsp The gate viewed from the top of Constitution Hill nbsp View point in the centre of the gate References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Laurence s Gate Drogheda St Laurence Gate on askaboutireland ie Wakeman William F 1995 1848 original published by James McGlashan Dublin Archaeologica Hibernica A Hand book of Irish Antiquities Reprint by Bracken Books Chap 4 especially p 144 ISBN 1 85891 256 3 St Laurence Gate on www discoverireland ie Archiseek Irish architecture com Laurence Gate entry with pictures and notes Retrieved at 27 March 2008 St Laurence s Gate Irish Architectural Archive A small but charming place Ref Francis Place 1698 Willem Van Der Hagen 1720 Beaulieu House Ricardelli 1782 Highlanes Gallery Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Saint Laurence Gate amp oldid 1190418663, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
