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19-761: The Latrobe Gate (also known as Main Gate, Washington Navy Yard ) is a historic gatehouse located at the Washington Navy Yard in Southeast Washington, D.C. Built in 1806 and substantially altered in 1881, the ceremonial entrance to the U.S. Navy 's oldest shore establishment is an example of Greek Revival and Italianate architecture. It was designed by the second Architect of the Capitol Benjamin Henry Latrobe , whose works include St. John's Episcopal Church ,

38-596: A dry dock and ship repair facility for what was to become an active and strategically located naval yard. Although Congress rejected Latrobe's building plans, the architect was designated "Engineer of the Navy Department" in 1804. Plans for the Main Gate were approved by Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith in 1805, and construction lasted from that year until 1806. Latrobe's Greek Revival design

57-510: A junior officer of arms in the College of Arms at London , dates from this period. Through Lord Charles Somerset , son of The 5th Duke of Beaufort , the portcullis has found its way into several South African coats of arms. Somerset established several towns during his governorship at the then- Cape Colony and named them for his family. These include Worcester , Somerset West , Fort Beaufort , and Beaufort West . Institutions that derive

76-461: A separate feature free-standing or attached to the manor or mansion only by an enclosing wall. By this time the gatehouse had lost its defensive purpose and had become more of a monumental structure designed to harmonise with the manor or mansion. Portcullis A portcullis (from Old French porte coleice  'sliding gate') is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications . A portcullis gate

95-415: A time of crisis by a single guard. Two portcullises to the main entrance would often be used. The one closer to the inside would be closed first, and then the one further away. This was used to trap enemies, and burning wood or fire-heated sand would usually be dropped onto them from murder-holes or the roof. Hot oil , however, was not commonly used in this manner, contrary to popular belief, since oil

114-535: Is constructed of a latticed grille , made of wood or metal or both, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles , securely closing them off during times of attack or siege . Every portcullis was mounted in vertical grooves in the walls of the castle and could be raised or lowered quickly by using chains or ropes attached to an internal winch . Portcullises had an advantage over standard gates in that they could be closed immediately at

133-774: The Baltimore Basilica , and the United States Capitol . The Latrobe Gate is one of the nation's oldest extant examples of Greek Revival architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1973, and is a contributing property to the Washington Navy Yard's status as a National Historic Landmark . The Washington Navy Yard was established by an Act of Congress on July 23, 1799. Three years later, President Thomas Jefferson chose Latrobe to design

152-618: The House of Beaufort , and the first Tudor king, Henry VII , who was of matrilineal Beaufort descent, adapted both the portcullis and the Tudor rose into Royal badges of the House of Tudor . Since then, the portcullis has been a moderately common motif of English heraldry , especially that heraldry dating from the Tudor period. The heraldic office of Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary ,

171-648: The Micklegate Bar. The French term for gatehouse is logis-porche . This could be a large, complex structure that served both as a gateway and lodging or it could have been composed of a gateway through an enclosing wall. A very large gatehouse might be called a châtelet (small castle). At the end of the Middle Ages, many gatehouses in England and France were converted into beautiful, grand entrance structures to manor houses or estates. Many of them became

190-714: The British Parliament at Westminster and the Australian Parliament to which Canberra is home. The badge, coat of arms, and flag of the Canada Border Services Agency all include a portcullis, symbolizing the agency's role as His Majesty's agents responsible for the border services of Canada. A portcullis was previously found on the British one-penny coin and on the predecimal thrupenny bit ; this has since been replaced by

209-875: The Main Gate. The brick, Italianate structure is two stories high above the gate and three stories high on each side of the gate. It is the oldest continuously manned Marine guardhouse in the United States. It is located four blocks south of the Marine Barracks Washington . The Marines manning the Latrobe Gate are responsible for raising and lowering the American flag outside the Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO's) house. [REDACTED] Media related to Latrobe Gate at Wikimedia Commons Gatehouse Gatehouses made their first appearance in

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228-780: The ancient defenses of Trier in Germany. Strongly fortified gatehouses would normally include a drawbridge, one or more portcullises , machicolations , arrow loops and possibly even murder-holes where stones would be dropped on attackers. In some castles, the gatehouse was so strongly fortified it took on the function of a keep , sometimes referred to as a "gate keep". In the late Middle Ages , some of these arrow loops might have been converted into gun loops (or gun ports). Urban defences would sometimes incorporate gatehouses such as Monnow Bridge in Monmouth . York has four important gatehouses, known as "Bars", in its city walls including

247-612: The early antiquity when it became necessary to protect the main entrance to a castle or town. Famous early examples of such gates are those such as the Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Over time, they evolved into very complicated structures with many lines of defence. The Romans began building fortified walls and structures throughout Europe such as the Aurelian Walls of Rome with gates such as Porta San Paolo and Porta Nigra from

266-403: The portcullis as a symbol of the palace and of Parliament does not date from that time. Rather, the symbol was developed as part of Sir Charles Barry 's plans for the rebuilt palace after the original burned down on 16 October 1834; he conceptualized the new palace as a "legislative castle", and the symbol of a castle gate—i.e., a portcullis—fit well with the scheme. Since then,

285-466: The portcullis from these arms include a school, a chamber of commerce, and a rugby club. Other (around 30) South African coats of arms that include a portcullis are not necessarily related to either Lord Charles Somerset or any of the towns named after and by him. Although the Palace of Westminster served as the official royal residence for both Henry VII and Henry VIII until 1530, the current use of

304-405: The portcullis has become the primary symbol of Parliament; an office building for Members of Parliament (MPs), opened in 2001, is named " Portcullis House ". During the 20th century, use of the portcullis as a symbol of Parliament spread beyond Britain and to the other Commonwealth realms . For instance, the coat of arms of Canberra has a portcullis in its crest , preserving a connection between

323-597: The young nation's democracy , a political system that originated in Ancient Greece . During the War of 1812 , Washington, D.C., was invaded by British forces. The Navy Yard was a primary target during the attack, and was burned along with much of the city in 1814. The gate was one of only three structures at the Navy Yard not destroyed during the fire. In 1881, a Marine barracks was constructed around and over

342-517: Was considered daring and thus criticized by traditionalist architects. William Thornton , the first Architect of the Capitol, described the gate as a "monument to bad taste and design". Thornton predicted that "not until extinction of time will such an arch ever be made again", but the Greek Revival style became popular with 19th-century American architects. The style was considered symbolic of

361-559: Was extremely expensive. Arrowslits in the sides of the walls enabled archers and crossbowmen to kill the trapped group of attackers. In England, working portcullises survive at the Tower of London , Monk Bar in York, Hever Castle in Kent, and at the hotel conversion, Amberley Castle . In Scotland, a working portcullis is at Edinburgh Castle . The portcullis was the heraldic badge of

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