The Strand Gate

Strand Gate, Winchelsea. The Strand Gate (also known as the East Gate and Watchbell Gate) was built around 1300 to protect the entrance from the harbour at the bottom of Strand Hill. It was at least a third higher than it is today, and incorporated two portcullises and a pair of gates. There was a porter’s lodge inside the northeastern tower, and a room for the portcullis winding gear on the first floor. The town wall joined the northwestern and southeastern towers. The Strand Gate incorporated decorative stonework, some of which is still visible, suggesting that it was seen as the main entrance into the town (as it is today). As with other buildings, the Strand Gate would have been rendered and whitewashed, while the decorative stonework would have been picked out in colour.