Boundary Wall And Railings To Leeds General Infirmary With Gate Piers And Gates

The boundary wall and railings to Leeds General Infirmary, including gate piers and gates, were constructed between 1863 and 1868 and were altered in the late 19th century. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the structure is made of brick in English bond, with ashlar and brick piers, stone copings, and wrought-iron railings. The wall is approximately 100 meters long, with the railings standing about 1 to 1.5 meters high and the gate piers reaching 2 meters.

The section of the wall that fronts the original Infirmary is angled to turn the corner into Thoresby Place and features inner and outer piers topped with crocket-style finials, along with railings along the left return of the Infirmary. At the eastern end, the wall is interrupted by a wide carriage entrance flanked by narrower pedestrian gateways, although the gates are missing. The wall coping has a roll moulding, and the railings are adorned with zigzag interlaced iron straps, C-scroll plaques, and flower-bud finials. The brick piers have corniced capstones and trefoil plaques at their finials.

The main gate piers are square in section and feature attached corner shafts with foliate capitals and gabled capstones. The inner pair of piers is more elaborate, with carved foliage on the entablature and a plaque on the gable front. The 1891 Ordnance Survey map indicates a curved carriage drive with angled gateways at each end, suggesting that the right gateway may have been repositioned when the hospital was extended in the late 19th century.