Gate Piers And Boundary Walls To St Catherine'S Nursing Home

The gate piers and boundary walls to St Catherine's Nursing Home, located on the south side of Oldfield Road, date from around 1840. They are constructed from limestone ashlar. Opposite the right-hand main entrance, which was formerly No. 27, there are two pairs of tall square gate piers, featuring incised front panels, slight bases, and cross-pediment pyramidal cappings, rising to approximately 2.75 meters. To the right, there is a pair of smaller piers with the same design, standing about 2 meters high. The original decorative iron gates have either been replaced or covered with metal sheeting.

There is an additional pier at the former party division, and to the left, there are two pairs of piers similar to those at No. 27, but these have deep moulded cappings on their weathered tops and retain both the main pair and a single original decorative cast iron gate. The piers are connected by a high boundary wall made of large ashlar blocks with weathered coping, which features a series of swept steps due to the slope of the road. The wall returns in a quadrant, likely rebuilt in smaller blocks, extending the full depth of the original site to the right, flanking Oldfield Lane. This section also includes original large ashlar blocks, though some lower levels are squared and coursed, and it has a series of swept steps leading to the coping. These elements connect with those of adjacent villas and are significant features of the building and the street scene.