Small Gate In Wall West Of Dorfold Hall

The small gate in the wall west of Dorfold Hall is an early 17th-century structure. It was removed from Nantwich and re-erected in its current location after the demolition of the Roger Wilbraham Almshouses in 1872. The gate features a wrought iron design with a central sun motif and scroll infilling within a square bar frame. It is set in an ovolo moulded stone opening, topped with a strapwork head and a raised pedimented canopy that has an arched opening. Inside the opening, there is a shell feature resembling an acroterion, mounted on a scotia moulded base. The gate is flanked by niches that have semi-circular heads decorated with strapwork, housing busts of Elizabeth I and a male courtier. Above these niches are short sections of projecting moulded cornice that support heraldic lions beside the pediment. The gateway is integrated into a brick wall, which has short lengths of twice weathered stone coping on either side.