Gates And Attached Walls At Entrance To Thornbridge Hall

The gates and attached walls at the entrance to Thornbridge Hall were built around 1897 and are made of gritstone, limestone rubble, and wrought iron. On either side of the entrance, there are plain square stone piers that stand approximately 10 feet tall. These piers feature moulded capitals topped with urn finials, which have fluted bases, dome-like tops, and decorations of foliage sprays between satyr heads. The double gates in the center are adorned with scroll decorations on the sides and center, and they have elaborate scrolls and leaves at the top in an 18th-century style. Originally, the gates operated using water power.

To the west, there is a limestone wall with moulded copings, while to the east, a lower wall is attached with iron railings and a gate leading to a lodge. Each gate pier is connected to stepped balustered walls that have intermediate square piers with moulded tops, forming a square courtyard in front of the hall. This courtyard features a square central island with balustrades and large piers at the corners, each topped by decorated urns. The southern wall of the courtyard is made of limestone rubble with gritstone coping, partly topped by semi-circular crenellations, and includes a gateway at the east corner.

The gateway features a four-centred arch door with a moulded architrave and a drip mould with carved label stops. Square piers topped by finials flank the doorcase, which is surmounted by a semi-circular pediment. Attached to the north of each pier are seated winged merlions. Other statues within the courtyard include another winged lion to the north, a dog in a fight to the west of the main entrance, and an Egyptian head to the south. Further along the drive to the south, there is one of a former pair of urns, which is fluted at the base and features a frieze of dancing classical figures. Beyond that, there is a full-size standing figure dressed in breeches and a waistcoat, with a long coat held back by arms tucked behind, and wearing a cloth turban-like hat, set in a stone quatrefoil.