Walls, turrets and gateway to east forecourt of Montacute House

The walls, turrets, and gateway to the east forecourt of Montacute House are 16th-century structures designed by William Arnold for Sir Edward Phelips. Constructed from Ham stone ashlar, the walls stand approximately 3.5 meters high, featuring about 2 meters of solid ashlar topped with open balustrading along the north and south sides. These walls have twenty bays, with piers capped by obelisk finials marking each bay. In the fifth bay from the house on each side, there are small gateways with a pair of 19th-century cast iron gates. The eleventh bay from the house includes an open circular turret, which has a moulded flat roof supported by six Doric columns and is adorned with groups of flying buttresses that reflect the ogee roofs of the corner pavilions, linking these walls to the house.

The east wall of the forecourt connects the two pavilions and consists of fifteen bays. The central bay features a wide gateway with tall square piers, a frieze band, cornice caps, steps, and open globe and point finials that echo the design of the pavilions, along with a pair of 19th-century cast iron gates. This gateway replaces a former gate-house that was likely demolished by the late 17th century.

Originally, this entrance was one of the most impressive features of Montacute House, but it was superseded by the west front built in 1785. The forecourt later evolved into a garden designed by Victoria Sackville-West.