Frodsham War Memorial Gates and Railings

The war memorial gates and railings were erected in 1921 and subsequently dismantled and re-erected around 1946. They provide a dignified, screened entrance to an avenue leading to the Frodsham War Memorial, which stands on the crest of Overton Hill. The railings are divided into two sections, an eastern section with a curved alignment and a western section with a straight alignment, separated by a pair of principal gates and smaller pedestrian gates. The eastern section features eight railing panels arranged in four pairs, while the western section has twelve panels grouped into six pairs. Each panel is stepped in height to accommodate the slope of the ground from west to east. The pairs of panels are separated by intermediate posts with triple shafts and a square framed laurel wreath panel. The ends of the railings terminate against hollow square section posts with four-faced, square framed laurel wreath panels. The ends of the railing sections also terminate against a three-shaft railing panel attached to the pedestrian gate posts. The rectangular pedestrian gates are shorter and narrower than the principal gates. They have a wrought-iron stile and rail frame construction with intermediate rails, supporting square-profile railing shafts, and miniature railing shafts filling the spaces between the lower rails. The upper rail of each gate acts as a coping, beneath which a lower rail forms a rectangular frame. The pedestrian gates feature a central quatrefoil pierced panel, while the principal gates have moulded panels reading: THEIR NAME LIVETH / FOR EVER MORE. Open square panels within the gates contain laurel wreaths, each bearing a dedication reading from left to right: BELLUM / 1914 1918 / 1939 1945 / PAX. The gates are secured by lever latches with ring handles; the principal gates also have a decorative drop-bolt and weighted ground catches to hold them open. A pair of railing screen panels projecting at right angles flank the entrance from the western pedestrian gate. The gates are supported by stylised classical-style cast-iron gate posts with bolted panels, moulded pedestals, plain capitals and depressed square conical finials. A cast-iron stench pipe with a hinged vane is fixed to the rear of the eastern principal gate post. The materials used are cast and wrought iron for the gates and railings and concrete for the dwarf walls.