Old City Gaol, Entrance Wall and Gateway is a Grade II listed building in the Bristol, City of local planning authority area, England. First listed on 8 August 1975. Entrance wall and gateway. 5 related planning applications.

Old City Gaol, Entrance Wall and Gateway

WRENN ID
gentle-joist-birch
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Bristol, City of
Constituency
Bristol Central MP: Carla Denyer (Green)
Country
England
Date first listed
8 August 1975
Type
Entrance wall and gateway
Address
Old City Gaol, Entrance Wall and Gateway, Cumberland Road, BS1 6XW
OS grid reference
ST 585 720
Coordinates
51.44625, -2.59803
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Old City Gaol entrance wall and gateway, built in 1832 by HH Seward and RS Pope, is located on Cumberland Road in Bristol. Constructed from Carboniferous limestone ashlar to head height and Pennant ashlar above, the structure features windowless square towers that flank a recessed bay. This bay contains a large semicircular-arched gateway, complete with a portcullis and iron-clad doors, as well as semicircular-arched blind windows on either side. Above the gateway, there is a wide rectangular recess and a thin string course. The entrance was originally designed by HH Seward, a pupil of Sir John Soane, in 1816 and was restored by RS Pope, the city surveyor, following the riots of 1831. The City Gaol itself was closed in 1883.

Local climate

Old City Gaol, Entrance Wall and Gateway receives an average of 860 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 61% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 68% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 33 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 55% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 5 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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