Dockyard Gates

The Dockyard Gates, a Grade II* listed structure, feature a main gateway flanked by tall grey limestone ashlar gatepiers and screen walls, with lodges on the outer sides that connect to the main walls. The eastern lodge is attached to No 1 The Terrace, which was built in 1818, while the western lodge is connected to the Port Hotel, constructed between 1832 and 1834. Although both lodges were planned in 1817, the western lodge may not have been completed until its later date.

The gatepiers and screen walls are monumental, with panelled piers topped by cornices and square pyramidal caps. Each side has a short screen wall linking to the corniced end walls of the lodges, which feature large arched doorways. The eastern doorway has been converted into a window and is now blocked, while the western doorway has 20th-century glazing. Originally, the gatepiers had anchors on top for a chain that carried a lamp, and iron gates were present. The main gates were removed in 1981, and in 1990 and 1993, the tops of both piers were knocked off. A pedestrian entry was added to the right of the eastern gatepier around 1900, complete with an iron gate. In front of the gates, two cannon bollards are inset into the roadway.

The lodges are single-storey structures with finely detailed three-bay colonnades made of limestone ashlar, featuring a full entablature that conceals the roofs. The northern elevations have narrow side bays flanking the central bay, with pilasters against the adjoining side walls. The walls between the columns are rendered. The western lodge has high-set triple casements from around 1900, while the eastern lodge has a boarded window in its northern wall, along with a window, door, and another window facing the roadway. The door includes a lattice-glazed overlight.

This structure is part of an impressive formal composition that includes the matching Captain Superintendent's House (Port Hotel) and Fleet Surgeon's House (No 1 The Terrace). However, the gatepiers, screen walls, and eastern lodge are currently in deteriorating condition.