Gazebos In Gardens Of Numbers 7 And 8

The gazebos in the gardens of numbers 7 and 8 on Park Street in Ripon are early 18th century structures, possibly connected in the mid-19th century. They are made of red brick with ashlar dressings and feature pyramidal pantile roofs. The two 2-storey pavilions have plaster coves, ashlar bands, and rusticated ashlar quoins. These pavilions are linked by a 2-storey gallery, which has brick over-sailing courses at the rear. The ground floor of the gallery is divided into four brick tunnel-vaulted bays, accessed through semi-circular arches with rusticated ashlar jambs and voussoirs. The first floor features an ashlar balustrade with square plan balusters that have umbrella-shaped knobs one-third of the way up, along with piers that show some traces of ornamental carving on their fronts. The rear of the gallery has four niches with rusticated ashlar jambs and voussoirs against a wall that only reaches up to their impost level. Access to the gallery is provided by doors from the first floor of each pavilion, with the door from number 8's pavilion featuring a 2-centred arch.

The history of these gazebos is not well-documented, but they were owned by the Baynes family from 1679 until 1791. They may have been constructed by 1719, as Richard Baynes' will refers to the property as "Cupola Close." The only detailed 18th-century map that depicts them does not show the link between the pavilions, which is their most unusual feature, suggesting it may have been added in the 19th century. However, aside from the apparently mid-19th-century doorway from the second floor of number 8's pavilion onto the gallery, everything else appears to be contemporary with the two pavilions. As a result, the complete history of the building remains unclear.