Gateway at Stukeley House

The gateway at Stukeley House likely dates from the first half of the 17th century and was altered by William Stukeley in 1744. It is constructed from roughly squared and coursed limestone with ashlar dressings.

The gateway is positioned at the east end of the north garden wall, which follows the line of the medieval town defences but does not include any medieval masonry. Some parts may date to the 18th century or earlier, while the central section was rebuilt in the mid-19th century.

The south elevation, facing the garden, features a large round-headed arch with prominent rusticated voussoirs and jambs. Above the arch is a heavy dentilled cornice over a plain frieze that has a central stone tablet inscribed with ‘Beatae Tranquillitati P Wilh Stukeley MDCCXXXVII’. A castellated parapet sits above, with a central panel carved with a shield in a circular band, inscribed ‘Anno Victoriae Cullodonianae 1746’. Behind the arch is a half-domed recess that contains a wide doorway made of diagonal planks, featuring a HL hinge at the top and a H hinge at the bottom, flanked by niches. The north elevation, which faces West Street, has a door with vertical planks and a cambered stone arch set within a wide, shallow projection.