Church Gate (Leicester)
![[An image showing Church Gate]](/images/photos/church-gate.jpg)
Church Gate is an ancient street in Leicester.
It runs from the Clock Tower, generally regarded as the centre of Leicester, and over the inner ring road to St. Margarets Church.
The word “gate”, used in several streets in the city, does not signify a gate at all. It is an old Danish word that simply means “street”, so Church Gate means “the street leading to the church”, in this instance St. Margaret’s.
The East Midlands were under Danish control over a thousand years ago, which accounts for the “gate” street name in other towns, including Loughborough, Derby, Nottingham and Newark.
The interesting looking shop on the corner of Church Gate was originally the East Gates Coffee House, one of several designed at the turn of the last century by the Leicester architect Edward Burgess.
The town wall ran beside Church Gate, from near the Clock Tower until it turned the corner at Sanvey Gate, opposite St. Margaret’s.
Today, Church Gate is a busy thoroughfare, containing shops, night clubs and one of the entrances to The Shires shopping centre. Just around the corner is St. Margarets Bus Station.