Steps, Gate Piers And Flanking Walls To Fountains Hall

The steps, gate piers, and flanking walls to Fountains Hall were built in the early 17th century, with later alterations and restorations. They are constructed from grey and pink limestone and ashlar. The shallow flight consists of seven steps, flanked by low walls and round end piers. The gate piers are approximately 3 meters high, square in shape, featuring coupled baluster-like columns on the south side and topped with ashlar blocks. One block has a weathered inscription on the left, and the remains of a sundial on the right.

The piers are supported by short flanking walls with moulded coping, which step down on either side and extend across the garden front, topped by a yew hedge. The wall returns towards the house on both the west and east sides of the garden, with a plain gateway at the north end of the east wall. The gateway at the north end of the west wall is dated 1743, and the attached porch is from the 19th or 20th century. The gate piers appear to have been restored using masonry from other sources. The round end piers of the steps are made from reused column shafts from the Temple of Fame (Walker), and the ashlar blocks on the gate piers resemble the plinths for the statuettes on the balustrade above the entrance to Fountains Hall. The gate itself is from the 20th century.