Hensington Gate

Hensington Gate is a gateway built between 1706 and 1710 by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. It is constructed from limestone ashlar and features frosted columns set on polygonal plinths. These columns support a cornice and flat scrolls that flank a two-tier campanile-style superstructure, which is topped with vases of flowers carved by Grinling Gibbons. The late 19th-century carriage gates are complemented by cast-iron railings on low limestone walls that curve to meet terminal piers with banded rustication. Originally, the gate piers were located in the garden to the east of Blenheim Palace and were relocated to their current position in the 1770s. Blenheim Park, where the gate is situated, is also listed in the HBMC Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade I.