Gate Piers, Gates And Flanking Walls At Ashton Cross

Gate Piers, Gates and Flanking Walls at Ashton Cross

This group of structures forms the former West entrance to Garswood Park estate. Dating to the late 19th or early 20th century and designed in Baroque Revival style, they comprise six sandstone gate piers standing 12 feet high, wrought-iron gates, and low flanking sandstone walls topped with cast-iron railings.

The central entrance formerly contained a vehicular gate (now removed), with pedestrian side gates flanked by four gate piers. The side gateways retain highly elaborate tall 18th-century French-style wrought-iron gates, painted black with gilded decoration. A large iron gate fixing remains on the inside face of the left gate pier at the central entrance.

Long, low curved flanking ashlar walls project from the side gates towards the outer gate piers. The side facings of the wall copings incorporate slender moulded bands framing vermiculated decoration. The inner edges of the walls feature a curved step up to meet the side gate piers. The walls are surmounted by cast-iron railings with a simplified fleur-de-lys style design.

The gate piers are identically styled structures. Each sits upon a large square stone plinth with moulded relief panels on each face containing vermiculated decoration. The lower body of each pier has columns at each corner with decorative composite capitals, with projecting bands containing vermiculated decoration between them. Above this rises a deep moulded entablature with a dentil eaves cornice. A tall square plinth sits above, with paired supporting scrolls at each corner and panels on each face containing Greek cross-style designs. Originally each pier was surmounted by a large ornamental urn, though that on the right outer pier has been removed.

The site was originally part of Garswood Park estate, seat of the Gerard family. Garswood New Hall, the main house, was built in the 17th century and extended and improved in the 18th century. The gates at Ashton Cross provided the West entrance to the estate. Two further principal gates and lodges existed at the north-east corner, and another to the east (now demolished). The house itself was demolished in 1921 along with its outbuildings and formal gardens, though most of the parkland designed by Humphry Repton, including a large fish pond, survived. During the Second World War the estate served as a prisoner-of-war camp and training base for American troops preparing for the D-Day landings. Following the house's demolition, the area north of the site was mined, and the M6 motorway was later constructed through part of the eastern section of the estate.

The exact date of construction of these gate piers, gates and flanking walls is unknown, though they are believed to date to the late 19th or early 20th century. The West driveway to the hall was realigned in the mid to late 19th century. The central gates were vandalized in 1989, being pulled off and heavily damaged, and were subsequently removed. In 1963 Ashton-in-Makerfield Golf Club established a new home on the south-west section of the Garswood Park estate, constructing a 9-hole golf course and clubhouse. Further land was purchased in the 1970s to expand the course to 18 holes, and the parkland designed by Repton now forms part of the golf course.