Former Main Entrance To Towneley Park Comprising Archway And Cottage

The former main entrance to Towneley Park consists of an archway and an attached cottage, likely built in the early 19th century. The cottage was altered in 1856, as indicated by the date above a window on the north side. The archway is constructed from coursed dressed sandstone blocks in a Gothick style, featuring a large round-headed arch with a cavetto-moulded surround, blank shields on each side, and an embattled parapet. It is flanked by octagonal turrets that have blind loop-lights and pseudo-machicolation at their embattled tops. On the north side of the archway, there is a low round-headed pedestrian doorway with a moulded rectangular surround and a parapet with ridged coping. A short screen wall connects the archway to the cottage, which is made of coursed squared sandstone and has a stone slate roof. The cottage is rectangular in plan, two storeys high, with its gable facing the road. It features a chamfered doorway on the north side, two coupled windows at ground level (with the windows inside the screen wall being segmental-pointed and marked "1856 CT" above), and a tall two-centred arched window in each gable wall. The gable copings are adorned with kneelers. The interior has not been inspected.