Gateway And Gates Approximately 50 Metres West Of Canteen At Soho Foundry

The gateway and gate, dating from 1837, are located approximately 50 metres west of the canteen at Soho Foundry in Smethwick. Originally constructed in cast iron, the gate features a flat top with stylised floral decoration and is set within a sandstone and brick surround that has an ovolo-moulded design with a round arch. The keystone of the arch is inscribed with "AD 1837". Inside the tympanum of the arch, there is a cast iron figure of an elephant. A 20th-century inscription next to the gateway notes that this cast iron gate and arch were relocated from the residence of James Watt at Heathfield Hall in Handsworth, which was built in 1790 and demolished in 1925. The Soho Foundry itself was established in 1796 by Boulton, Watt and Sons for the production of steam engine parts.