Seaforde gate, 181 Newcastle Road, Seaforde Demesne, near Seaforde, Downpatrick, Co Down

Large and impressive Greek Revival gateway of 1833 by Peter Frederick Robinson, in sandstone with central pedimented carriage archway and flanking flat arch wicket gates. The structure fronts the main entrance to the Seaforde Demesne, (on the N edge of Seaforde, c.5 miles W of Downpatrick), and is aligned on an axis with the main road running through the village from Newcastle. The gateway is in ashlar sandstone with both the N and S faces identical. The stonework on the N face shows a large amount of discolouration, however. To the centre of the structure is a tall semicircular carriage arch with moulded archivolt and with Greek key frieze, topped with a cornice-like course, springing level. Above arch level is a plain string course, above which is a recessed rectangular panel. The tall central section is topped with a mutuled pediment with carved anthemion acroteria. The main carriage gates themselves are missing, having been removed (like many others) during WWII. The arch is flanked by plain pilasters which carry through the courses and are topped with simple curved ‘entablatures’, (with small carved roundels), above the string course level. To the outer side of these pilasters are relatively large flat arch wicket (i.e. pedestrian) gates. These are both topped with the cornice-like course referred to before and above this is a recessed rectangular panel. Above this is the string course (see above). To the outer side of each wicket gate is another pilaster, as before. Between both sets of pilasters the entablature spans, on top of the string course, in blocking course-like fashion. To the centre of either stretch is a curved portion, same as that topping each pilaster. The wicket entrances both have tall decorative iron gates (those decoration is now broken in places). To each side of the main gateway structure there stretch tall curving (quadrant) iron railings, similar to the wicket gates. These link to tall sandstone faced walls, with square pillars topped with Greek key friezes and shallow pyramidal caps.