Coleshill Park, Great Piers, Including Cast Iron Gates*

Coleshill Park features gatepiers and gates dating from around 1650, likely designed by the architect Sir Roger Pratt, who also designed Coleshill House. The gatepiers are rectangular and closely resemble the chimney stacks of the house, with rusticated panels on all sides. The north and south sides of the piers include inner egg and tongue moulding. They have a bracketed cornice and carved stone vases on top. The south sides of the piers incorporate elements from the staircase hall of the house, including framed and recessed roundels that hold classical busts, and below these are shell-headed niches arranged as seats, complete with moulded architraves and small key blocks. Between the piers, there are fine late 18th-century cast iron gates marked "GLOUCESTER FOUNDERY."