Bandstand In Eccleston Ferry Farmhouse Garden

The bandstand in Eccleston Ferry Farmhouse garden is a covered cafe area built in 1888 by John Douglas for the 1st Duke of Westminster. It features open timber framing on a plinth made of red sandstone, topped with a red tile roof, and has a rectangular plan. The chamfered plinth supports a low wooden balustrade with rectangular balusters and heavy wooden posts that have arch bracing to the wall plate. The south gable includes a chamfered doorcase leading to a cellar, and the plinth has slightly canted corners. The date is inscribed on the tiebeam, alongside a large diamond-shaped plaster panel depicting a goddess with a serpent staff and cornucopia, flanked by dolphins, with the motto "PEACE AND PLENTY." There are stone steps on the west side and an entry on the north side. The interior consists of two bays with massive roof trusses, including a tiebeam and two diagonal struts. The cafe and bandstand were created for visitors from Chester taking boat trips down the river, as well as for people from the Duke's estate who used the ferry until the Second World War.