Retaining wall and steps for the main terrace to the west of the Talbot Hotel

The retaining wall and steps for the main terrace to the west of the Talbot Hotel date from the early to mid-18th century.

The staircase and surrounding walls are made of Hildenley limestone ashlar, while the terrace wall is constructed from large 18th-century bricks set on a footing of coursed limestone rubble. The terrace wall measures approximately 60 meters in length, standing 6 meters high on the lower (south) side and 0.5 meters high on the upper side. It features cambered coping stones and full-height pilaster buttresses that create piers, which were once topped by urns. At the eastern end of the terrace, there are three large, battered buttresses that serve as later supports.

The staircase is located at the west end of the wall and makes a quarter turn down to the south. It has raked parapet walls with chamfered coping resembling giant handrails, which terminate at cylindrical piers with shallow domed caps. Beneath the stairs, there is a small storage chamber, and the staircase is flanked by raked screen walls with square section piers. The eastern screen wall is integrated into the brickwork of the terrace wall but clearly abuts the stonework of the staircase. At the top of the staircase, there is a short flight of simpler steps that provides access to a terrace walk lined with beech trees, leading to a blocked doorway in the western garden wall.