Lansdown Cemetery, Entrance Gates, Piers And Walls

The Lansdown Cemetery entrance gates, piers, and walls were designed in 1848 by HE Goodridge. The composition is primarily limestone ashlar with a double Roman tile roof and cast iron railings.

The prominent feature is an imposing portico in the Greek style. It has a shallow-pitched, forward-facing gable with a dentil and dogtooth cornice, clasping pilasters exhibiting similar cornices, and Greek-cross finials to semicircular caps. A bellcote sits on the ridge of the gable. The gable’s apex incorporates a small cross within a circle over a wide semicircular arch with ornate mouldings and engaged colonnettes with scroll-moulded capitals. The intrados is defined by four bands of moulding. The double nine-panel gates have six pierced cast iron panels at the top of each and fielded panels below, flanked by similar four-panel pedestrian gates.

A rich frieze, approximately 2.5 metres high, follows the contours of the pilasters and flanking walls for about 6 metres on either side. The walls have stepped plinths and three circular panels beneath the frieze. Higher, cruciform-plan terminal piers are capped with interlocking half-cylinders with fish-scale surfaces and decorative ends. Curving forward on stepped granite plinths approximately 1 metre high and 3 metres long are cast iron arcaded railings, more than 1 metre high, with dentil cornices and fleur-de-lys spikes. The outer terminal piers to the railings are lower and more elaborate. The wall plinth extends for approximately 5 metres on each side, incorporating similar piers (likely formerly accompanied by railings). These outer piers and railings were originally designed to surround William Beckford’s tomb in Abbey Cemetery and were relocated to Lansdown when the Duchess of Hamilton presented the Tower and land to the Rector of Walcot, enabling Beckford to be buried in his desired location. The gates were restored by the Bath Preservation Trust around the year 2000. These gates are considered among the most remarkable in early Victorian cemeteries, demonstrating a blend of styles and providing insight into Goodridge’s artistic development; Goodridge is buried within the cemetery.