Traitors' Gate 4 min read
Traitors' Gate: the name came later
Edward I built it so that a king could arrive by river. The stories of prisoners passing under its arch grew up afterwards, and one of the most famous did not happen.
Outer ward
Traitors' Gate
Edward I's great water gate beneath St Thomas's Tower, built in the 1270s so the king could arrive by river. Its sinister name came later.
- Time here
- 5–10 min (our estimate)
- Access
- Step-free · No stairs
- Where
- Outer ward · outdoors
What you can see
- The wide arch and the pool where barges once moored at high tide
- St Thomas's Tower above it, part of the Medieval Palace
- The view back along Water Lane
Practical considerations
- Step-free
- No stairs
- Queues at peak times
- A popular photo stop; the railing gets crowded around midday
Checked 10 Sept 2026
Access details from Historic Royal Palaces' accessibility page. Time estimates are ours unless marked official.