1: Beverley Gate
Beverley Gate had an important role in the history of Hull.
In the 1290s, having conquered Wales, King Edward I turned his attention to establishing his authority in Scotland. With a military campaign imminent the king needed a supply port for his army and northern garrisons. Wyke upon Hull was ideal and Edward persuaded the monks of Meaux to swap the port for other property in 1293. He changed the name to Kingston (King’s Town), and in 1299 granted the town borough status.
The strategic and economic importance of Hull to the Crown, and its vulnerability, were affirmed in 1321 when King Edward II licensed the building of a ditch and wall.
Between the late 1330s and 1410 some five million bricks were used to construct a high wall around three sides of the town. The River Hull ran along its east side. There were thirty interval towers and four main gates. The route of the walls and positions of towers and gates are marked in different colour bricks along the east side of Prince's Dock.
The most important entrance was Beverley Gate guarding entry from Beverley and York. The town walls defined and contained the town for four centuries until they were demolished in the late 18th to early 19th centuries for the building of the first docks.
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