North-East Gate and Railings, St Nicholas Gardens, Whitehaven, Cumbria

Summary

Ornamental gate and railings, 1755, for Sir James Lowther (4th Baronet of Whitehaven).

Description

Ornamental gate and railings, 1755, for Sir James Lowther (4th Baronet of Whitehaven).

MATERIALS: wrought iron gate and railings with overthrows, formed from forged bar iron, including both fire-welded and mechanical joints, the latter being riveted or bolted.

DETAILS: the gate consists of three panels formed within a frame of forged iron rails and styles. The three open panels are infilled by plain square section bars with short elaborated spear finials set between them. The top panels are separated by a mullion, formed by an ornate open scroll panel. The mid-rail is formed by a similar open scroll panel. A gate latch is situated at one end of the mid-rail, with a wrought-iron handle attached to a narrow plain vertical panel against the lock style. The gate is hung between two tall narrow open scroll panels that act as gate posts, supported by curved wrought-iron braces. A semi-circular strap spans between the panels above the gate and above that, a decorative strapwork overthrow is dated 1755 and has a central shield containing the Lowther crest, surmounted by a wyvern finial. A pair of identical side railing panels of a similar design and construction to the gate with spiked bars are situated to either side and are surmounted by decorative scroll overthrows. The railings have matching end panels like the tall panels to either side of the gate that maintain the symmetry of the structure; each panel is set into a dwarf ashlar wall, with a chamfered upper surface. The railings are attached at each end to a later secondary panel of simple spiked railings that flank the ashlar steps that rise up to the gateway.
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 28 June 2022 to correct a typo in address and to reformat the text to current standards

History

Until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, Whitehaven was a small fishing village owned by the Priory of St Bees. Its fortunes changed in 1630 when the estate was purchased by Sir Christopher Lowther, who chose to establish a port at Whitehaven for the exporting of coal from the Cumbrian coalfield. The village grew very rapidly into a bustling town during the mid-C17 and was laid out on a grid-plan as each successive street was added, with the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity situated at the junction of Roper Street and Irish Street. As the town prospered further streets were added and by the 1680s included, Church Street, Lowther Street, Queen Street and Duke Street, all of which bounded a central rectangular plot of land allocated for the construction of a larger church.

The new Church of St Nicholas was completed in 1693, replacing a small chapel at the end of Chapel Street. On 2 January 1755, the Baronetcy of Whitehaven became extinct with the death of Sir James Lowther (4th Baronet of Whitehaven), who died unmarried at the age of 81 years: at the time of his death, he was reputed to be the richest commoner in the land. His body was laid to rest 19 days later in a tomb on a raised podium within the Church of the Holy Trinity, enclosed by a wrought-iron gate and railings bearing the Lowther Crest. However, it took until 1803, before a marble memorial tablet was erected to his memory, to the rear of the tomb.

When the Church of the Holy Trinity was demolished in 1949, the marble tablet and the wrought-iron work was transferred to the rebuilt Church of St Nicholas and his body was exhumed and re-interred there on 3 February 1949. Unfortunately, the church was subject to a major fire on 31 August 1971, which destroyed most of the building, except for the tower and fragments of the outer walls. Remarkably, the tablet, and the gate and railings also survived the fire. The tablet was disposed of in 1989, but the gate and railings were installed at the north-east entrance of St Nicholas Gardens (the former churchyard, laid out as an ornamental garden in the 1920s) that faces out onto Duke Street.

Sir James Lowther, 4th baronet (bap 1673, d 1755), was a Whig politician, businessman, coal owner, Member of Parliament, and landowner of Whitehaven. He succeeded as fourth baronet in 1731, with a lifelong interest in the development of his estates in Cumberland; he sought a monopoly of the coal trade, with its lucrative market in Dublin. Following on from his father, he played a vital role in developing the harbour facilities and Whitehaven as a planned town.

Reasons for Listing

The North-East Gate and Railings, St Nicholas Gardens are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the high-quality decorative mid-C18 wrought ironwork, exhibits a high standard of workmanship and design;

* the mid-C18 gate, piers, railing panels and overthrows survive intact;

* the setting of the gate was chosen with care to have a strong visual relationship with the former tower of the Church of St Nicholas.

Historic interest:

* as a memorial to Sir James Lowther, MP, fourth baronet, who played a vital role in the economic development of the port and town of Whitehaven.

Group value:

* the gate and railings have a strong spatial and functional group value with the listed St Nicholas Centre, and have a strong visual and spatial group value with numerous listed buildings in Church Street and Duke Street, together with the un-listed Children's Mine Memorial.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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