Entrance Gates And Pavilions At Recreation Ground Entrance Pavilions And Gates At Recreation Ground

The entrance gates and pavilions at the Recreation Ground in Torquay were built in 1910 and designed by Ellis. They are made of local grey Torquay limestone ashlar and feature timber canopies, a lead roof, and iron gates. The design is eclectic with some Gothic elements.

The structure consists of a pair of octagonal pavilions that include ticket offices, with turnstiles and vehicular gates positioned between them, along with pedestrian gates on either side. The exterior has a plinth with fielded stone panels and a string course beneath high-transomed windows, which are divided by pilasters topped with moulded capitals. Each pavilion has an octagonal timber canopy supported by decorated cast-iron brackets, featuring a timber fascia with roundels and a bold dentil course below the cornice. The canopies have pyramidal lead roofs, each topped with an octagonal open timber lantern that has round-headed arches, a deep moulded cornice, and a pyramidal lead roof adorned with lead gables and cast-iron finials.

There are narrow doorways on the north face of each pavilion, and the windows include central mullions with applied Perpendicular tracery and foiled tracery above the transom. The main gates are embellished with scrollwork above the top rail, while the pedestrian gates feature roundel friezes, additional scrollwork, and cast-iron standards with sunk panels and rounded finials. At the time of the survey, the openings to the left-hand (west) pavilion were boarded up. Ellis provides a brief history of the recreation ground in his work.