Survey Data
Reg No
50910270
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical
Original Use
Gates/railings/walls
In Use As
Gates/railings/walls
Date
1750 - 1755
Coordinates
315444, 233947
Date Recorded
01/11/2015
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Gate screen, built c. 1753, comprising vehicular archway flanked by pedestrian entrances, in turn attached to buildings. Archway flanked by rusticated Giant Order Doric angle pilasters and walling, rising from plinth with moulded coping, and surmounted by entablature with moulded stringcourse, in turn surmounted by open-topped segmental pediment containing concave tapered pedestal carrying cast lead statue. Lower brick screen walls to east and west, each containing square-headed pedestrian doorway with triangular pediment and lugged limestone architraves, set into Flemish bond brickwork on limestone plinth with moulded top, and having cut stone coping over limestone platband, latter continuous with that of adjoining buildings. Timber double-leaf door with three raised-and-fielded panels. Brick flanks and soffit to archway, and plain ashlar to north elevation. Vehicular archway has wrought-iron double-leaf gate, concave top coping and forged finials. Stone sett paving to south, brick sett paving to archway and to north. Bedford Tower to west, northeast range to west.
Appraisal
Viewed from the Upper Yard, the Justice Gate is a flamboyant exercise in Mannerist ashlar limestone with high-quality cast-lead sculpture by John Van Nost. From the north it is plain and unremarkable. The open-topped pediment is used to good effect to highlight the statue of Justice and the contrast between the soft sculptural form of the figure and the robust rusticated nature of the gateway is visually interesting.