Lighting Up Aldgate With Crunchy Charlie

Aldgate has always been a neighbourhood full of energy — a place where cultures meet, creativity mixes with everyday life, and community spirit runs deeper than you expect in the heart of a big city. This winter, that spirit shines a little brighter.

The Gate Aparthotel is proud to take part in the Aldgate Lantern Trail, a community initiative that brings locally made lanterns into the streets and windows of Aldgate, turning the area into a playful, glowing gallery. Schools, artists, and neighbourhood groups all contribute, and the result is a trail that feels joyful, human, and unmistakably Aldgate.

Our lantern for 2025 is Crunchy Charlie — an enormous, golden gingerbread-inspired character created by the Y5 pupils at English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School. From the heart-shaped details to his huge welcoming grin, Charlie is as charming as the young imaginations that shaped him. He now stands proudly in our lobby window, lighting up the street and catching the eye of passers-by.

For us, participating in the Lantern Trail is about something simple: staying connected to the community we’re part of. A hotel isn’t just a building where people check in and out — it’s part of the local fabric, and supporting projects that celebrate local creativity is one of the ways we try to give back.

We love that our guests can experience a piece of Aldgate’s character the moment they arrive, and we’re delighted to help showcase the talent of our neighbourhood’s youngest artists. If you’re out exploring Aldgate over the festive season, make sure to follow the trail. And if you’re passing The Gate, come by and say hello to Crunchy Charlie — he’s hard to miss, and he’s impossible not to smile at.

Find out more about the Aldgate Lantern Trail: aldgateconnect.london/lanterntrail