WARRINGTON’S historic Golden Gates are to be given a major refurbishment.
Part of the gates, outside the Town Hall, will have to be removed from the site for the work to be carried out.
The gates – originally manufactured for The Great Exhibition of 1862, in London, are believed to have last undergone restoration in 1978.
They were originally painted all black and the golf leaf was added to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
They are Grade 2* Listed and are within the Town Hall Conservation Area.
According to Historic England, they are of high national interest, for their high quality design and craftsmanship and have considerable group value because of their proximity to the Grade 1 Listed Town Hall and the conservation area.
But the fabric of the gates is now in a poor state of repair, say officers.
There are two main causes for concern – the possible loss of an historic asset and danger to the public if repairs are not carried out.
The refurbishment will involve removal of existing paint, laser scanning individual components, carrying out off-site repairs, producing new castings and components, fixing them to the structure, protecting the metalwork and transporting it back to the site, completing the painting, and erecting the ironwork.
All records will be deposited in the Historic Environment Record.
The Golden Gates in all their glory
