August

MOST of St Mary's Abbey in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, is long gone.

But some idea of its former Augustinian grandeur can be gauged from the remains of the gatehouse that controlled access to the grounds from High Street.

Gatehouse ruins

It originally had another floor, and was where the poor of the area gathered for alms.

Among those of a higher social standing who passed through the gatehouse are believed to have been House-of-Lancaster founder John of Gaunt (Ghent) and his grandson Henry V.