Archway

The Archway connects No. 20 Lansdown Crescent and No. 1 Lansdown Place West. It was constructed between approximately 1824 and 1830 by Henry Edmund Goodridge for William Beckford. The arch is built of limestone ashlar, with an unseen roof. The exterior features a balustraded parapet that is articulated by four-panelled piers, topped with green oxidized copper palms in gadrooned urns; the two central urns are larger. A cornice aligns with the first-floor stringcourse of No. 20, as does a ground-floor platband, with three 20th-century windows in eared and shouldered architraves set between them. The keystone of the semi-elliptical arch meets the platband, with a moulded archivolt to the front. An impost band continues through the arch to the rear, which is plain and of painted ashlar. The interior has not been inspected. The arch was built to connect the two houses William Beckford occupied after the sale of Fonthill Abbey in 1822; he initially lived at No. 66 Great Pulteney Street before acquiring Nos 20 and 1, and it is believed it was built to house his large library. No. 1 Lansdown Place West was sold around 1832, and Beckford later purchased Nos 18 and 19 Lansdown Crescent in 1836, remaining there until shortly before his death in 1844. Henry Edmund Goodridge is presumed to be the architect, as he was also building Lansdown Tower for Beckford between 1825 and 1826. The metal palms are inspired by Beckford’s time in Portugal. The Archway is designated Grade I for its outstanding architectural composition and considerable historical interest.