Churchyard gateways, railings and fountain at St Paul's Church

The churchyard gateways, railings, and fountain at St Paul's Church were built around 1730, with the drinking fountain added in 1883. The gate piers are made of ashlar sandstone, while the gates and railings are crafted from wrought iron. The railings are set on a brick plinth wall topped with stone coping. The drinking fountain is made of polished and rough-tooled Dartmoor granite with bronze fittings.

There are six gateways positioned around the churchyard, which is associated with the Grade I Church of St Paul on St Paul’s Square. Each gateway features square gate piers with carved panel mouldings, a plain cornice, and decorative urns that vary in style. The gateways include a mix of wrought-iron and cast-iron double gates with evenly-spaced bars, finials, and dog bars. The south, southwest, and northwest gateways have single gates with scrolled wrought-iron overthrows, while the north gate has a similar wrought-iron scrolled overthrow, and the west gate features pointed finials on a plain overthrow.

The railings are adorned with fleur-de-lis finials on the north and east sides, while the south and west sides have pointed finials with decorative urn finials on every twentieth rail and scrolled brackets connecting them to the piers.

The Turnley drinking fountain, located at the southeast corner, was installed in 1883 and consists of a canted granite water bowl with a triangular-headed surround over a curved limestone step. The surround is inscribed with a dedication from the Municipal Council of Bedford, noting its replacement of a previous fountain presented by Thomas Westley Turnley, along with a biblical quote.