Outer Gateway at Powis Castle

The Outer Gateway at Powis Castle, built in 1668, serves as an entrance with a retaining wall to a courtyard. Powis Castle originated as a Welsh stronghold around 1170, with significant rebuilding occurring around 1300 after earlier damage. Following acquisition by the Herbert family in 1587, the castle was gradually transformed into a country house, shifting the main entrance and relegating the medieval entrance to a rear access. The gateway itself was destroyed in 1644, requiring its reconstruction in 1668. Subsequent remodelling in the early 19th century, possibly by Smirke, involved extending the northwest pavilion and altering the western elevations, coinciding with the re-establishment of the gateway as the primary entrance.

The gateway is constructed of brick with stone dressings, featuring a balustraded parapet on the south and east sides, and stone facing on the west wall, likely a result of the early 19th-century work. It consists of two single-story pavilion blocks linked by an arched entrance. An early 19th-century shield of arms sits above the gateway. The west-facing elevations feature four-centered arched doors (double doors in the north pavilion), and loft entrances above. The south pavilion’s garden-facing elevation has a three-by-three-light stone mullioned and transomed window arrangement, believed to be original. Squared balustrading adorns the parapet. The courtyard-facing fronts of the pavilions were originally open arcades, later filled in with mullioned windows in each bay. The buildings originally housed a coach house and stables, and original stable fittings, including a series of arcaded stalls, remain within the south pavilion.

The retaining wall, defining the south boundary of the original outer bailey of the medieval castle, is likely late 17th century, evidenced by its appearance in a 1684 drawing by Thomas Dineley and the connection with the pavilion and other contemporary features. The drawing also indicates that a raised bed was originally a walkway. The gateway and retaining wall are significant elements of the broader late 17th-century work at Powis Castle, representing an integrated design incorporating both entrances and the terraced gardens.