An original iron gate that once stood proudly outside a Grade II listed building in County Durham is set to be re-installed.
The original gates to Hardwick Hall in Sedgefield and part of the avenue leading to the four-star hotel were removed when a nearby housing estate was built in the 90s. Two of the gates were saved and later donated to Hardwick Park, with one of them being used as the model for replica gates installed at the present entrance to Hardwick Park.
But that gate was lost, and the one remaining gate is still stored at the park by Durham County Council. But the original gate which has been in storage, will once again be re-installed.
(Image: Friends of Hardwick)
Charity Friends of Hardwick lodged a planning application to Durham Council in November that would see the gate installed between West Park Lane and Hardwick Road, on Durham Road. Part of the original wall still stands there, and the nearby bus stop is known locally as ‘The Park Gates’.
A statement accompanying the plans says: “As part of the preparation of the gate the supplier would fabricate / install replacement wrought iron components creating new architrave components and replace damaged structural steel. The re-erected gate would be outside the Hardwick Park and Sedgefield conservation areas and the associated registered park and garden. The gate would mark the historic eastern access point of the park and thus better reveal significance as there is no current evidence of this once grand entrance.”
Friends of Hardwick say the initiative would “return a piece of Sedgefield history to visibility” and “provide an additional historic feature in Sedgefield”. Durham County Council approved the plans on January 29.
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/original-grand-gate-re-installed-30946359
