Ludgate

By Krista Walrath                                

Ludgate was situated on Ludgate Street which, according to De Saussure, was “not a long street, but a wide and handsome one” (p. 74). The gate was named after King Lud who was said to have been the founder of London.

On the side facing the street, the gate had statues of King Lud and his two sons. On the other side of the gate, the side facing St. Paul’s Cathedral, there was a statue of Queen Elizabeth I. It was said that you could see heads of executed people on Ludgate. De Saussure notes, “and I was shown a head said to be that of Oliver Cromwell” (p. 74). 

In 1760, Ludgate was demolished. During this time period, many of the City of London’s gates were destroyed. However, today there is a plaque situated halfway between Ludgate Circus and St. Paul’s Cathedral where the site of the gate was.  

Sources:
César de Saussure. A Foreign View of England in the Reigns of George I and George II. London: J. Murray, 1902.
Wikipedia