What did Cripplegate blue plaque do at Wood Street?

The Story

# Cripplegate's Wood Street Legacy Standing on Wood Street, you're standing at the very gate that gave its name to one of London's most storied passages through the medieval City walls. This was Cripplegate itself—the ancient entrance that had creaked open for centuries, its name possibly derived from the Old English "crepel" meaning narrow passage, though popular legend tied it to the crippled beggars who gathered there seeking alms. Until its demolition in 1760, this gate functioned as a vital artery connecting the City's commercial heart to the parishes beyond, with Wood Street serving as its principal thoroughfare and gathering point for traders, travelers, and the curious. The gate's removal marked the end of an era when London's boundaries were still literally defined by stone and iron, transforming this spot from a threshold between worlds into simply another street corner—yet the blue plaque remains to remind visitors that they're walking through a passage that once meant something far more profound to every Londoner who passed through.