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he plaque affixed to the gate informs us that it was built around 1385, and presented to the city by Col. W. F. Wyley in 1913 prior to its first restoration five years later.
Looking upwards as you walk through the gate, you can still see a beautiful wooden carving of the Coventry emblem, the Elephant and Castle, inside the roof.
The next two images compare a long lost view of Coventry with the current scene. In both pictures you can clearly see the door in the side of the gatehouse, which would have given access to the top of the city wall, which was evidently in ruin back in 1805, around the time this atmospheric engraving was made.
The outer defensive ditch was still also visible two centuries ago, although much shallower than when it was first dug. During times of conflict this ditch could be flooded by opening a spayer (medieval term for a sluice) connected to the river Sherbourne.
A quick glance at the top of this and Swanswell gate, you may notice that the battlements have been added in recent times. This was done around 1931-32 when a second session of restoration took place and the gardens were built. Photographs from 1910 show Cook Street gate with a flat open top, whilst Swanswell gate had a sloping "house-like" roof where it had been used, firstly as a cottage, and then a shop in the 1800s. If you wish to see how Cook Street gate looked in 1910, please take a look at the "Now and Then" section.
After passing through Cook Street Gate, you can enter the beautiful Lady Herbert's Garden and move towards Swanswell gate.
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