Wycombe Abbey Former Gates And Railings From Cumberland House And Buckingham House

Wycombe Abbey features former gates and railings salvaged from Cumberland House and Buckingham House, dating from the 1780s, 1790s, and mid-19th century. These were originally part of houses occupied by the old War Office in Pall Mall, London. The central sections came from Cumberland House, numbers 85-87 Pall Mall, which were part of Robert Adam's remodelling in the 1780s, while the gates and piers are from the mid-19th century. The outer sections were salvaged from Buckingham House, number 91 Pall Mall, which underwent remodelling by Sir John Soane from 1792 to 1795. Lord Carrington purchased these elements in 1908-1909, initially erecting them as entrance gates and a screen for Daws Hill House drive from High Wycombe. In 1924, the structure was moved 25 metres south to its current location.

The gates and railings are made of cast and wrought iron set on stone plinths, with a total length of 50 metres, of which 23 metres is from Buckingham House. The central sections, which were the former forecourt screen to Cumberland House, include four gatepiers with former lamp supports, hollow piers featuring scrollwork, and four intermediate standards topped with urn finials and wrought iron decoration by Robert Adam. The central gates were removed for scrap during World War II. The mid-19th century phase includes two of the four carriage gates, which are non-opening and feature alternating pointed and open fleur-de-lys finials. The main railing stretches have spear head finials and panels at the base. The outer sections, which were the former area railings to Buckingham House from the 1790s, consist of spear head railings with three non-opening area gates. Seven decorative panels remain, featuring three oval paterae within wrought iron lozenges. To the far left stands a tall wrought iron panelled standard, with its provenance unknown.