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A Name Four Theories Still Argue Over
Locksmith Aldgate: The Gate Nobody Could Quite Name
Centuries of historians still can't agree what this old City gate was actually named for, and in 1471 it briefly trapped the very army trying to force its way through. Dial 020 8534 4949 and reach someone genuinely familiar with this old eastern corner.
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Covering Aldgate at the old eastern edge of the City. Open in Google Maps
Why Aldgate Is Different
Four names, one gate, and no agreement in over 600 years
Aldgate was one of the original gates set into London's defensive wall, standing on the road east toward Colchester since Roman times. What it was actually named for, though, has never been settled. Writing in the 16th century, the chronicler John Stow argued for Old Gate, from the Old English Aeld Gate. Other historians have proposed Ale Gate, tied to a long-vanished alehouse, All Gate, meaning the gate stood open to everyone, or East Gate, since it sat furthest east of London's city gates. Each theory has its defenders, and none has ever won outright.
The documentary record only muddies things further. Records older than the 15th century consistently spell the name without a d at all, simply Algate or Alegate. The familiar Aldgate spelling doesn't firmly appear until the 1480s, which raises an awkward possibility: Stow's confident Old Gate explanation may have been reading a d into a name that never originally had one.
The Siege That Trapped Its Own Attackers
Whatever its name meant, the gate saw genuine fighting. During the Siege of London in the spring of 1471, troops led by a nobleman known as the Bastard of Fauconberg forced their way through. It didn't go well for them. Once inside, Fauconberg's men found themselves penned into the small open space just beyond the gate and were defeated there, a rare case of an attacking force being undone by the very opening it had just broken through.
Aldgate's most famous resident, incidentally, wasn't a soldier at all. Geoffrey Chaucer spent twelve years living in rooms built directly above this gate, a story we cover in full on our EC3N page rather than repeat here. The gate itself came down for good in 1761. We're concerned with neither names nor sieges. We just want the locks on whatever's here now to work properly, however the area got its name.
In a hurry? deal with a lockout now, schedule a repair for later, or call past midnight if that's when it strikes.
What Aldgate Businesses & Residents Call About
What this old eastern edge brings us
Offices Along The Old Wall Line
A steady concentration of commercial tenants follows Aldgate's own historic route. We match security to that pace, never treating it as routine.
Book aheadConverted Period Buildings
Close to where the gate itself once stood, several older buildings still carry real character. We respect that rather than treating every door identically.
Book aheadShops & Cafés Serving Office Workers
Daytime trade here depends on the surrounding offices staying busy. A fast lock replacement keeps a jammed unit from losing that custom.
Same-day priorityFlats Near The Commercial Core
A small number of residential entrances sit among the offices in this area. Each one gets its own assessment, not grouped in with the commercial units.
Book aheadBroken Or Snapped Keys
A snapped key doesn't always come free easily from the older locks here. This page sets out the careful process we follow.
Call nowEvening Lockouts
This area empties quickly once the office crowd heads home. Our response holds steady regardless.
Call nowA point worth making clearly: duplicate keys and card or intercom setup both fall to other specialists, not us. The managing agent's own contacts handle those.
Locked Out On Aldgate
Office hours' pace, then a quiet evening
Steady office and commercial traffic defines this area through the working day.
Evening brings a sharp contrast: things empty out fast, leaving noticeably quiet streets behind.
Neither pattern changes our method. Soft techniques get a full run before a drill is ever brought out.
What's actually happened to your key shapes our next move. See broken keys for a snapped one, lost keys for one that's simply gone.
Around Aldgate
What this area connects to
Chaucer's own story, in full detail.
The wider district this area sits within.
South of here.
North-west, the next gate along.
West, towards London Bridge.
South-west of this area.
What We Do
Services across Aldgate
A Dispute That Outlived The Gate Itself
What six centuries of historians couldn't agree on
The gate came down in 1761. The argument over what it was called never did. Four theories, one missing letter, and still no consensus.
The full etymological dispute is laid out by this account of Aldgate's contested name. The 1471 siege itself is covered in more detail by this history of the gate.
That argument is best left to historians. A lock doesn't need a settled name behind it, just a genuine fault worth sorting properly.
Uncertain what your own lock needs? Walk us through what it's doing and we'll be upfront about what we think.
The Process
Booking a locksmith callout at Aldgate
- Get in touchAddress, which unit, and a line on what's wrong.
- Access confirmedWhere sign-off is needed, we arrange that before the visit.
- Looked at firstA price follows the engineer's own inspection, never before it.
- Tested on the spotLock and door are both checked working before we leave.
Access & Traffic
Getting to you around Aldgate
This area carries heavy traffic where several major roads converge at the old gate's former position. Loading restrictions apply throughout.
Both Aldgate and Aldgate East stations lie within easy reach, often the quicker option once surface roads back up.
Weekday office hours bring the busiest conditions, with evenings considerably quieter. We plan each visit around whichever pattern applies.
Why People Call Us
What Aldgate tenants and residents rely on us for
- We check what's fitted, not the name's history. A disputed etymology doesn't change what a door actually needs.
- We don't skip to force. Gentler methods get a proper try before a drill does.
- Comfortable near a historic site. Visitor interest and extra foot traffic don't slow us down.
- Homes matter here too. A residential job gets exactly what a commercial one does.
- Scope stated plainly. Spare keys and access-system programming aren't work we take on.
- Reachable at any hour. Busy trading day or a quiet evening, it's the same to us.
Nearby
Areas around Aldgate
Common Questions
A Name Nobody Ever Quite Settled
Is there a single agreed explanation for this area's name?
No, several competing theories have circulated for centuries without one ever winning out.
What are the leading candidates?
Old Gate, Ale Gate, All Gate, and East Gate all have some documentary support.
Does early spelling complicate the picture further?
Yes, records before the 15th century spell the name without a d at all.
A Gate That Trapped Its Own Attackers
Did this gate see genuine fighting in its own history?
Yes, most notably during a siege in 1471.
What happened to the attacking force on that occasion?
They forced their way in, then found themselves trapped and defeated just inside.
Did a famous writer really live at this gate too?
Yes, Geoffrey Chaucer, a story covered in full on our EC3N page.
Booking On Aldgate
Which area does this page actually cover?
Aldgate itself, at the old eastern edge of the City wall.
Do you work on period buildings as well as modern offices here?
We do. This area has a genuine mix, and each building gets assessed on its own terms.
Can you reach a lockout during a busy weekday?
We can, though finishing on foot often works out faster once this area gets congested.
Is weekend cover realistic in a mostly commercial area?
It is, seven days a week, whatever the streets are doing.
Do you handle residential premises as well as offices here?
We do, alongside commercial work, which makes up the larger share of callouts here.
What if my building has its own security procedures?
Walk us through them in advance and we'll build the visit around that.
Six centuries couldn't settle this gate's name. We'd rather settle your lock issue in one visit.
Office, shop or flat on Aldgate — let us know what's wrong and we'll sort the right engineer.