gatehouses

A gatehouse is a building or reception structure that forms the entrance to an estate, fortress, town, or larger enclosure. Gatehouses traditionally sit at or near the principal gate and serve as the first point of access control and shelter for guards, gatekeepers, and toll collectors. They may be single-story lodges or multi-story structures integrated into a defensive wall.

In medieval Europe, gatehouses were part of fortifications and manor houses. They often combined living quarters with a defensive passage leading through the gate. Common features include a gate passage, defensive doors or portcullises, murder holes, arrow slits, and a courtyard guarded by towers. The architecture ranges from simple timber-framed lodges to substantial stone buildings that reinforce curtain walls.

Functionally, gatehouses served security, surveillance, and administration. They controlled who could enter, collected tolls or taxes, and housed guards. In large fortifications, a gatehouse could also serve as a last line of defense or a secure checkpoint. In later periods, gatehouses became more ceremonial, acting as grand entrances to palaces, universities, parks, or country houses.

Today, gatehouses continue to function as controlled entrances in historic estates, government compounds, and private developments. Many have been preserved as architectural heritage, adapted as offices, museums, or visitor centers, while others are used for security and access control within modern facilities.

See also: Fortress gate, Gate tower, Lodge house, Defensive architecture.