Gateway, Lodges And Walls At Entrance To Swinburne Castle

The gateway, lodges, and walls at the entrance to Swinburne Castle date from the late 18th century. They are constructed of ashlar stone and feature Welsh slate roofs, with cast-iron railings. The main archway is flanked by single-storey, L-shaped lodges and quadrant walls that also have railings.

The archway is adorned with a pair of engaged Tuscan columns on each side, with round-headed niches in between. The capitals of the columns are decorated with sprays of oak leaves. There is a fluted frieze and cornice, and the round arch has an archivolt featuring an ox skull with tasseled horns on the keystone. The flanking rectangular panels are embellished with Adam-style rosettes and fans, while the pediment above displays a cartouche with feathers.

The lodges have four-pane sash windows, a fluted frieze and cornice, and a corniced parapet with blind balustraded panels. The inner returns of the lodges feature plank doors with pulvinated overpanels. The stone corniced end stacks and hipped roofs complete their design.

The low quadrant walls have chamfered coping topped with spearhead railings and urn finials on the principal standards, which culminate in tall square corniced piers.