Survey Data
Reg No
20868108
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural
Previous Name
Black Rock Castle
Original Use
Gates/railings/walls
In Use As
Gates/railings/walls
Date
1820 - 1830
Coordinates
172332, 71978
Date Recorded
28/04/2011
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding ashlar entrance gateway, built c.1825. Central carriage arch comprises four-centred Tudor-style arch surmounted by crenellated parapet with square-profile ashlar crenellated turrets having single blind arrow loops supporting arch and flanking recent double-leaf timber gate. Four-centred Tudor-style arch to pedestrian entrance with segmental coping adjoining single store gatehouse to the east. Rubble stone wall surmounted by recent railings to the west. Commemorative plaque on western turret records the rebuilding of Blackrock Castle in 1828.
Appraisal
The entrance to Blackrock Castle is an early-nineteenth-century interpretation of a medieval castellated gateway. Executed in high quality stonework, the composition is balanced and the four-centred arch is an attractive centrepiece. It was probably designed by George Richard and James Pain, architects to the Admiralty Court of the City Corporation, who were responsible for the restoration work at the castle at the time.