Entrance Gateway To Abbey Cemetery

The Entrance Gateway to Abbey Cemetery is a Grade II listed structure built in 1844, likely designed by G.P. Manners. It features gate piers and gates in a free Gothic style, constructed from limestone ashlar, timber, and cast iron. The gateway consists of two gate piers with original gates and a door between them. The piers are set on plinths and have roll mouldings at the corners, designed as engaged quarter columns with bases and capitals. They are topped with two-stage coped caps. The right-hand pier is wider, accommodating both the main gates and a pedestrian entrance to the right. The double carriage gates have timber frames with five rows of panels each, while the pedestrian gate has four panels. The lower sections are two-panel designs beneath upper sections featuring decorative cast iron infill with cruciform motifs. The backs of the piers also have roll-moulded shafts at the corners.

Historically, Abbey Cemetery was one of three cemeteries designed by John Claudius Loudon, a prominent figure in early Victorian landscape design. It represents his theories on cemetery design, combining a formal layout with informal planting. The cemetery was designed in 1843 and opened on January 30, 1844, by the Bishop of Salisbury. It remains remarkably intact and is now managed by Bath City Council. The gates are positioned as shown on Loudon's original plan from 1843, leading to a long rising drive bordered by a boundary wall and embankment that leads to the center of the cemetery. The attribution to G.P. Manners is supported by his design of the Mortuary Chapel located on the site. The gates underwent significant restoration around 1990, with the wooden gates being replaced while retaining the original ironwork and door furniture.