Wrought iron gates and stone gate piers to Temple Grounds

These are early 18th century wrought iron gates and stone gate piers forming the entrance to Temple Grounds, likely dating to around 1732, originally commissioned for John and Anne Yorke of Richmond. The gate piers may have been designed by Daniel Garrett.

The gates themselves are constructed of forged bar iron, using a combination of fire-welded and mechanical joints, including riveting and mortise and tenon joints secured with lead. Some areas of the ironwork retain traces of repoussé-work, where the sheet iron was embossed. The gates consist of a pair, each with two large panels separated by a horizontal lock rail panel, suspended from ironwork pilasters fixed to the stone piers. Above the gates stands an overthrow featuring a rectangular stretcher frame incorporating the coat of arms of John and Anne Yorke (1732-1757) on each side. The upper panels of the gates are tall rectangles divided into two sections; the sections next to the meeting rail display scrollwork, which originally included waterleaf repoussé-work. Hinge-side sections are filled with vertical rails interspersed with ball-tipped finials and twisted, flame-tipped pendants. The lock rail has simpler scrollwork, likely a later repair secured with bolted clamps. The lower panels are square, filled with plain vertical bars. The pilasters showing the gates are filled with repetitive scrollwork, with some fragments of repoussé waterleafs, a design similar to that found on Jean Tijou’s gateway at Hampton Court Palace. The overthrow's stretcher frame has a central bulls-eye with projecting rays and scrollwork, including some intact waterleafs, with the Yorke coat of arms at the centre.

The stone gate piers are ashlar construction, with four engaged columns rising from a square base to support a square entablature surmounted by a pineapple finial. The columns are Roman Corinthian in style, but with simplified capitals featuring a single band of laurel leaves instead of the usual multiple bands of acanthus leaves. This leaf band sits above two string courses: a bead-and-reel and an egg-and-dart. The entablature features an architrave, pulvinated frieze, and dentilated cornice. The pineapple finial is raised on a stepped pedestal.