Record Details
| NHER Number: | 64060 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Site of South Guanock Gate |
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Summary
This is the site of one of the postern gates of the King's Lynn Town Defences. It is likely to date from the 13th century but may have been disused as early as the start of the 15th century. It was demolished in 1803 and the material from the gatehouse was used to build London Road.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TF 6235 1934 |
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| Map Sheet: | TF61NW |
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| Parish: | KING’S LYNN, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Previously recorded under NHER 5486.
According to (S1) this was one of the postern gates of the town (rather than one of the main entries), and was sometimes known as The Old Guanock Gate. It was demolished in 1800 but is depicted in 1741 on (S2) which shows it in a ruined state. (S1) considers it likely that this gate was of carstone and brick and had a stretch of flanking wall to the north and the south. An earlier illustration shows a two-storey gatehouse, the lower stage having the entry passage running through it while the upper storey had two rectangular windows on the inner face and was crenellated. The earliest terminus ante quem for this gateway is 1374-5 when a payment for hinges is recorded. However, (S1) considers a date in the 13th century more likely. (S1) cites (S3) which asserts that this gateway was disused relatively early in the history of the town walls, as even by the early 15th century no keeper is appointed to more than one of the Guanock Gates, and is usually the same person as the keeper of the East Gate.
See (S1) for further details.
A drawing of this gate in ruins in 1800 is shown in (S4), which notes that the gate was demolished in 1803 so that the material could form a base for the new road being built here at that time.
A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 10 March 2020.
Monument Types
- POSTERN (Medieval to 19th Century - 1250 AD? to 1803 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Map: Bell, H. 1680s. The Groundplat of King's Lynn. |
| --- | Map: Rastrick, G.. 1725. Ichnographia Burgi perantiqui Lennae Regis in Agro Norfolciensi accurate delineata. |
| <S1> | Article in Serial: Smith, T. P. 1970. The medieval town defences of King's Lynn. Journal of the British Archaeological Association. Third Series Vol XXX pp 57-58. |
| <S2> | Publication: Buck. 1741. Eastern Prospect of Lynn-Regis. |
| <S3> | Monograph: Harrod, H.. 1874. Report on the Deeds and Records of the Borough of King's Lynn. |
| <S4> | Publication: Higgins, D.. 2000. The Antiquities of King's Lynn from the Sketchbooks of Rev. Edward Edwards. |
Related records
| 5486 | Part of: King's Lynn Town Defences (Monument) |