Retaining Wall Railings And Steps

WEYMOUTH

SY6778NE CHAPELHAY STEPS 873-1/23/42 (East side) Retaining wall, railings and steps

II

Retaining walls, railings, and steps. C19. Dressed or rubble Portland stone, cast-iron railings. A lofty retaining wall beginning to the S of Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Road (qv) in rock-faced masonry to approx 5m height has a straight joint with dressed quoins to each side immediately adjacent to the church vestry, then returns in a curved splay of dressed square stone to a straight rubble section to the S with a slightly higher coping; the ground rises towards the S. This whole run carries 17 bays of spearhead railings from 1.6-1.7m height, to scrolled standards with urns, many of which are missing. The upper level is the W end of Trinity Terrace. At the S end of the railed section is a parapet wall, taken to the top level of those railings and stopped at either end to a square pier, with a raked section following the line of a flight of 9 stone steps, which are contained on the inner (E) side by 3 further bays of railing. The Crickmay Contract Drawings for Holy Trinity Church (qv) refer to part of the wall as 'New wall built by Corporation', and also indicate that a section of the railing was to be reclaimed from the south side of the church and re-used here. There are many substantial stone retaining walls in this area, but this section is not only especially important to the townscape immediately adjacent to the church and steps, but also has the original walling and railings largely untouched.

Listing NGR: SY6783678634