Two archways and associated stone staircases and retaining walls in Rivington Gardens at SD 6390 1422

Two archways and associated stone steps and flanking walls built from 1906 to a design by Thomas Mawson for Lord Leverhulme as part of Rivington Terraced Gardens. All these features are built of gritstone.

A stone staircase with flanking walls rises eastwards up the hillside from a terraced path a short distance south of a former swimming pool/boating lake before dividing into two staircases, one running north-east the other running south-east. Semi-circular archways are positioned at the lower end of each of these two staircases. Both archways spring from moulded imposts and the voussoirs are of thin gritstone slates, each with five keystones of the same material. Tall, buttressed retaining walls of sandstone rubble flank the staircases, each containing splayed window openings affording views downhill across the gardens. Towards the top the right staircase turns sharply through 90 degrees.