1953 AD., Great Britain, Elizabeth II, 3 Pence, KM 886.

Great Britain, Elizabeth II, engravers: Mary Gillick (obverse) and William Maving Gardner (reverse), 1953 AD.,
3 Pence (21-22 mm / 6,81 g), nickel-brass, dodecagonal (12-sided), 6,80 g theor. mint weight, mintage 30.618.000 , medal alignment ↑↑ (0°), plain edge, varnished,
Obv.: + ELIZABETH II DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REGINA F: D: , her laureate bust facing right, 1st portrait.
Rev.: THREE - 1953 - PENCE / W - G , a Tudor portcullis plus side chains, crown above, value flanking, date below; engraver´s initials below portcullis.
KM 886 .

Year / Mintage
1953 30,618,000
1953 4 matte Proof
1953 40,000 Proof

A portcullis (from the French "porte coulissante" or gliding door) is a latticed grille made of wood, metal or a combination of the two. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege. Each portcullis was mounted in vertical grooves in castle walls and could be raised or lowered quickly by means of chains or ropes attached to an internal winch.

The portcullis was the heraldic badge of 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 as the Tudor badge. 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, a junior officer of arms in the College of Arms at London, dates from this period.

Although the Palace of Westminster served as the official royal residence for both Henry VII and Henry VIII until 1530, the current use of 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—fitted well with the scheme.

Since then, the portcullis has become the primary symbol of Parliament; an office building for Members of Parliament, 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 features a portcullis in its crest, consciously preserving a connection between the British Parliament at Westminster and the Australian Parliament to which Canberra is home.

A portcullis was previously found on the British one penny coin; this has since been replaced by a section of the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The badge of the now-defunct HM Customs and Excise also bore a portcullis, symbolising the agency's role as "gatekeeper" of goods into the UK, as well as the badge of the Canada's now-defunct Customs and Excise.