Former Gunwharf Gateway And Walls Of Approximately 3 Metres To North 38 Metres To South

SZ 6399 PORTSMOUTH GUNWHARF ROAD (West side) 774-1/12/28 HMS Vernon Former Gunwharf Gateway & walls of approx 3m to N, 38m to S

GV II

Former entrance into naval ordnance yard, with attached walls. Late C18-early C19, with some alteration to walls in later C19. Red brick in Flemish garden wall bond with rubbed brick and ashlar dressings. Entrance, bricked up, has square gate piers, each with coped side piers; on front and rear sides (west and east) piers have a rubbed brick round-arched recess with ashlar sill and circular recess above; ashlar cornice with blocking course forming base to inward-pointing carved stone mortar finials. To either side of entrance a lower section of wall, each approx. 3 metres long, has blind round arch and flat coping. Wall continues southwards for approx. 35 metres and is approx. 2 metres high with brick string below triangular-sectioned brick coping; it terminates in a square brick pier with chamfered plinth and cogged, stepped, band below capstone. HISTORY: the gateway provided access into the Board of Ordnance's original Gun Wharf Yard, swallowed by the 1770s New Gun Wharf extension. Armaments and ordnance stores were kept here while ships were in Ordinary at Portsmouth dockyard. The entrance forms part of the development of the Yard, and is notable for the mortar finials. These are found at other Ordnance entrances such as the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, but stone examples are rare. (Sources: Coad JG: The Royal Dockyards 1690-1850: Aldershot: 1989: 180-181, 257-259 ; Coad J: Historic Architecture of HM Naval Base Portsmouth 1700-1850: Portsmouth: 1981: 53,55).

Listing NGR: SU6610802158