Entrance Screen And Gates To Hartford Hall

The entrance screen and gates to Hartford Hall were built in 1873 and are made of squared stone, cast iron, and wrought iron. The gates were produced by the Coalbrookdale Company in Shropshire, as indicated by the maker's plates. The structure features four openwork piers with central double gates and side gates that include a central open section adorned with intricate foliage decoration and elaborate heads on the bars. On either side, there are similarly ornate sections of railing, with the top rail curving up to end in a human hand grasping the top of the bar next to the gate pier, all set on a cast-iron dwarf wall. The flanking quadrant walls have low gabled coping, and the end piers are topped with large ball finials. These gates were specifically made for and showcased at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873, representing one of the most ornate examples of High Victorian ironwork in the North of England.