Lion Gate To Ince Blundell Hall

The Lion Gate to Ince Blundell Hall is an entrance archway built between 1770 and 1776, with a mid-19th century addition. It features a central round-arched entrance where the impost continues as a cornice band, complete with an archivolt and keystone. The entrance is flanked by Doric columns and an entablature adorned with two bucrania and rosettes on the metopes. A broken pediment crowns the structure, showcasing a central cartouche that bears the Weld-Blundell arms, which supports an urn with rams' heads and swags, along with flanking festoons. The cartouche and urn were added after 1847. The pedestrian entrances on either side have rusticated surrounds and flat arches, with bases that include swags and rosettes. To the left of the left entrance is a lioness, and to the right is a lion. The entrances are fitted with mid-19th century cast iron gates, paired at the central entrance. The gate is set within a brick estate wall topped with stone coping. The design was inspired by a painting from around 1690 by Sebastiano Ricci, titled "The Marriage of Bacchus and Ariadne," which was once located in the hall.