Screen, Gates And Gatepiers

The screen, gates, and gatepiers at Newnham Paddox Park date from the early to mid-18th century, with additional gatepiers added around 1873. Constructed from cast and wrought iron, the 19th-century piers are made of banded rusticated brick, featuring moulded limestone plinths, cornices, and caps. There are various attributions for the design, including the Roberts brothers and Robert Bakewell for the side gates, while some sources suggest they were brought from a Spanish monastery at Berwick House in Shrewsbury.

The central pair of segmental-headed gates is mostly plain but includes ornamented dog and lock rails, with side panels featuring scrollwork. An elaborate overthrow showcases scrollwork and acanthus leaves, along with a central shell, coat of arms, and dragons. The four piers, approximately 5.5 meters high and square in section, are adorned with scrollwork, acanthus leaves, and solid caps topped with square vases of flowers.

The large screen panels on either side are similar to the gates but include a prominent circular panel of radiating ornament at the top and additional scrollwork. The lower side gates are styled differently and may be by another designer, featuring semi-circular heads with ornament and flanking scrollwork panels. Their scrollwork overthrows are crowned with openwork vase crests. The Doric piers of bar work have solid caps topped with openwork urns on plinths, with scrollwork panels to the left and right. The 19th-century piers have a short wall that curves down from the tall inner pier to the lower outer pier.