Stableyard Gateway, Boundary Wall And Offices To South Of Hope End Hotel

A stableyard gateway, boundary walls, and offices dating from 1810 to around 1820 was likely designed by L C Loudon in collaboration with E Moulton-Barrett. The brick, rubble, and rendered structure forms the south-west stableyard entry and is characterized by low flanking offices and curved boundary walls. Five minarets mark the east and south sides, enclosing the yard.

The gateway is rendered and features a lead cupola, a square plan, and a semi-circular projection to the northwest. It originally had two storeys, with a carriage arch on the ground floor fitted with cast iron gates, circular openings on the first floor, and a polygonal cupola. The semi-circular projection housed a pendulum clock mechanism in an upper chamber, both of which have since been removed. Flanking the gateway are low brick and rubble roofless wings, which curve in alignment with the boundary walls. Behind these wings are straight stairways leading to the upper chamber of the gateway, with a former game-larder also present.

The stableyard is enclosed by brick and rubble walls, ranging from 4 to 6 feet high, and the aforementioned five minarets, constructed of rendered brick with moulded ogee caps and finials. Two sets of late 19th-century cast iron gates are incorporated into the east wall: one connects to the Hope End Hotel to the north, and another is located to the south of the gateway. A re-used wide, segmental-headed 9 panelled door from the 18th century is located within the east wall of the former game-larder.

Elizabeth Barrett-Browning resided here from 1809 to 1810. Her father, E Moulton-Barrett, sold Hope End in 1832, upon which the clock was removed from the gateway. Moulton-Barrett, having accumulated wealth from Jamaican plantations, sold the property. The unusual "Moorish" atmosphere of the stableyard is thought to have influenced Barrett-Browning's writing, as seen in works like "The Lost Bower." The original house lay to the southeast and was demolished in the 1870s. The landscape setting, potentially influenced by Moulton-Barrett’s association with Uvedale Price at nearby Foxley, reflects a Picturesque style. The structure contributes to the group value alongside the Hope End Hotel, minarets, boundary walls and gate piers.