Four Gatepiers At Entrance To Liverpool Speke Airport

The entrance gatepiers at Liverpool Speke Airport were built around 1940 and were originally located at two separate entrances before being relocated to a single site in 1998. Designed by sculptor Herbert Tyson Smith, these rectangular gate piers are made of ashlar limestone blocks arranged in a staggered formation. The northern piers feature integral tapered columns on their front faces that rise from plain plinths, topped with carved winged motifs that form the heads of each pier. The flat tops of these piers support ornate light fittings. The piers are approximately 16 meters apart. To the south, there is a second pair of piers, set further apart, which also have integral columns but feature plain rounded shallow platforms on top. The railings and plinth walls associated with the piers were erected in 1998 and are not considered of special interest.

Historically, these piers marked two separate entrances to the airport. The winged motif piers flanked the current entrance to the terminal building, while the plainer piers were originally located further east at a separate entrance leading to the no. 2 hangar, which later served as the international terminal. The gatepiers are significant as they represent the sculptural elements of the airport site, which is also reflected in the relief carvings on the main elevations of the two hangars. They are part of the most important surviving group of 1930s civil aviation structures in England.