Holbein Gate, Gothic gateway in Whitehall, London, England
The Holbein Gate was a three-story brick structure spanning Whitehall street, with octagonal turrets at each corner and a central archway for vehicles alongside a smaller pedestrian passage. It connected the eastern and western parts of the old Palace of Whitehall, which once covered a large area on either side of the road.
Henry VIII had the gate built between 1531 and 1532 to link the two sections of the Palace of Whitehall that were separated by the public road. It stood for more than two centuries before being pulled down in 1759, when it was considered unsafe.
The gate was decorated with royal coats of arms and carved stone panels that marked it as part of the palace grounds. These details signaled the power of the English crown to anyone passing through Whitehall.
The Holbein Gate no longer exists and there is nothing to visit on site; its former location was on Whitehall street, close to the Banqueting House. Visitors interested in the history of the area can explore the surrounding streets on foot, as several nearby buildings date from the same period.
From 1672 onward, the upper floors of the gate were converted into offices used to store government records, turning a passageway into a working administrative building suspended above a busy street. This unusual arrangement lasted until the structure was taken down.
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