The York Watergate

If you would be visiting then walking in London, England in the Victoria Embankment Gardens you can come upon the York Watergate. This is a unique Italianate water gate that sits on top of a base and greenery.

Unless they knew that the gate was there people might not specifically look for it and people who live in London most likely just pass it by. At one time before the Victoria Embankment was constructed in 1862, changing the course of the river to modernize the sewage system in the city and to reduce traffic along the Strand, this gate sat on the northern edge of the Thames River for over 200 years.

It was once the waterfront entrance to the York House Mansion which was one of the fancier homes here at this time. Boats could pull up to the stairs and passengers could step out, right to the back gardens of the property. All that is left of this enchanting time is the gate which is now in the gardens. It is a reminder of the old path and a reminder of the mansion that it was once a part of. When the Thames Embankment and the Victoria Embankment Gardens were built in the 19th century the gate got separated from the river.