Gates And Screen Across The Main (South West) Approach To Cholmondeley Castle

The gates and screen across the main south-west approach to Cholmondeley Castle were built in 1722 by Robert Bakewell of Derbyshire. Originally, the gates faced the Old Hall but were moved to their current location after the hall was demolished in 1801. The structure features wrought iron gates with stone end piers and a dwarf wall beneath the screen.

There is a pair of tall gates with an elaborate overthrow, which are hung from built-up metal piers. Each side of the gates is flanked by two panels of railings, also with central built-up metal piers, standing on a low stone wall. The outer ends of the screen have large panelled stone end piers that support heraldic animals and elaborate ramped screen ends designed with scrolls and volutes.

The screens consist of square bars with spear and leaf cresting, water lily pendants, and volute and leaf dogbars similar to those on the chapel gates. The intermediate piers are decorated with features like volutes, leaves, bobbins, sun motifs, and ogee caps. The gates and main support piers are simpler, primarily using square bars, but they are enhanced by the segmental head of the gates, the high-quality overthrow, ogee pier caps with a cavetto cornice, and small ramped screen-end brackets.

The dwarf wall supporting the screen is chamfered with flush coping. The stone end piers have moulded plinths, recessed panels, and projecting cornices, and they support a hound with a shield on the east side and a Griffin with a shield on the west side.