Aldgate was the eastern-most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and  then onto the East End of London. Aldgate is  a ward of the City bounded by White Kennet Street in the north and Crutched Friars in the south, taking in Leadenhall and Fenchurch Streets, which remain principal thoroughfares through the City of London, each splitting from the short street named Aldgate that connects to Aldgate High Street. Sir John Cass’s school, where a plaque records the former placement of London Wall, is sited on the north side of Aldgate.

This post however only focus in on the small area around Aldgate Church which is called St Botolph-without-Aldgate – Church of England, and stands at the junction of Houndsditch and Aldgate High Street. The current 18th century church is made of brick with stone quoins and window casings. In the 1880’s it was often referred to as the “Church of Prostitutes” in the late Victorian period. The church is sited on an island surrounded by roadways and it was usual in these times to be suspicious of women standing on street corners. They were easy targets for the police, and to escape apprehension the prostitutes would parade around the island, now occupied by the church and Aldgate tube station – source Wikipedia.

Aldgate is a good place to start a photographic tour as you can head east towards the markets around Liverpool street and Whitechapel, , south towards the river and the Tower of London or west to explore the city. There is not a lot of photographic sites in the immediate area but there are enough to get your camera warmed up before heading elsewhere.

Photos  © 2010 Philip Carey