Glassby Arch

This is a stone arch constructed around 1859 by Robert Glassby, a local stone mason and later sculptor. Originally situated in the garden of Fern Villa, it was relocated in November 2015 to the grounds of Almshouses on Church Street, Mexborough.

The arch is Romanesque in style, featuring a semi-circular form beneath a triangular superstructure supported by dressed stone abutments. The arch itself is carried on engaged piers with worn stone capitals. It is adorned with multiple rows of decoration, including chevrons, crosses, and beak-heads, and notably, a row of individual gargoyles which were purportedly copied from local churches, culminating in a skull at the centre. Above this decorative band is a carved knight's head, below a decorated square panel. A Celtic cross tops the apex of the arch. The rear of the arch is less heavily decorated, with spaced-out gargoyles below the extrados, and further gargoyles are located on the outside of the abutments. The stone displays varying levels of weathering, with significant dirt-blackening, and it may be composed of different stone types, although this is difficult to confirm from historical photographs.

Robert Glassby (1835-1892) was born in Mexborough and created this arch as his first major work, commissioned by local businessman Mr John Reed following an apprenticeship in Doncaster and employment in Sheffield. Initially, the arch stood in Reed's garden in Market Street. Glassby's subsequent career included a period in Paris, work on the Albert Memorial under Phillips, and commissions for Queen Victoria.