Professor Ray Laurence, from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies has contributed a piece to the Canterbury Times about the current condition of the historic Westgate Towers entrance to the city.
With the walls of Canterbury dating back to the Roman era, the Westgate Towers were constructed around 1380 as a gate to the city. Today they are a Grade-1 listed piece of architecture, their iconic status in the city second only to the Cathedral, and they provide an entrance to Canterbury’s main high street. However since the advent of the car, the A290 runs through them and the increasing traffic is a cause for concern.
In March 2012 Canterbury Council piloted a traffic control scheme to make the towers pedestrian-only, and have the traffic filtered to the side of them, with a mixed response from the local community.
As traffic has returned to run through the Towers, Ray’s piece warns of the threat to the future of this historic monument. ‘Vehicles damage the monument without even touching it,’ argues Ray, who concludes his piece, ‘The decision to allow traffic to pass under the arch will damage the monument and damage the city.’
To read the full article, please see:
www.canterburytimes.co.uk/Professor-Ray-Laurence-University-Kent-Westgate/story-20485664-detail/story.html