Wrought iron gates and stone gate piers to Temple Grounds

Ornamented pedestrian gateway, early C18, perhaps 1732, for John and Anne Yorke of Richmond, gate piers possibly by Daniel Garrett.

MATERIALS: wrought iron gates and overthrow formed from forged bar iron including both fire-welded and mechanical joints, the latter including riveting, collars and mortise and tenon joints fixed with lead. The ironwork retains some repoussé-work (embossed sheet iron). Gate piers are stone ashlar.

IRONWORK: consists of a pair of gates, each of two large panels separated by a horizontal lock rail panel. The gates are hung from ironwork pilasters fitted to the stone piers. Spanning between the piers above the gates is an overthrow which incorporates a rectangular stretcher frame with further detail extending above, this including the coat of arms of John and Anne Yorke (1732-1757) set centrally to each face.

Gates: the upper panels are tall rectangles each divided into two sections. The sections adjacent to the meeting rail are infilled with scroll-work with evidence that this was originally further embellished with waterleaf repoussé-work. The hinge-side sections are infilled with vertical rails interspaced with ball-tipped finials and twisted, flame-tipped pendant fringing. The lock rail is infilled with simpler scrollwork which appears to be later repair work as it is fitted in place with bolted clamps. The lower panels are square, infilled with plain, square section vertical bars.

Pilasters: these are infilled with repetitive scrollwork, still retaining some fragments of repoussé waterleafs, the design being very similar to panels within the pilasters of Jean Tijou’s gateway to the Great Fountain Garden at Hampton Court Palace.

Overthrow: the stretcher frame has a central bulls-eye with projecting rays embellished with further scrollwork and evidence of waterleafs. The scroll work that extends above includes some completely intact waterleafs. At the centre of the overthrow there is the embossed coat of arms of John and Anne Yorke.

GATE PIERS: each pier has four engaged columns rising from a square base to support a square entablature topped by a pineapple finial. The columns have plain shafts and are Roman Corinthian in form, but with simplified capitals having just one band of laurel leaves rather than the more typical two or more bands of acanthus leaves, this leaf band being set above two string courses: a bead-and-reel, and egg-and-dart. The entablature has an architrave, pulvinated frieze and dentilated cornice. The pineapple finial is raised on a stepped pedestal.