“Golden Gates”

A brief trip to the town centre this morning - sometimes the banking app won’t do what it is supposed to do, necessitating a visit to the nearest physical bank. The transaction didn’t take long, so before heading home I walked up the road to take a pic of the “Golden Gates” (not so golden in mono).

The Gates were made by the Coalbrookdale company for an 1862 exhibition, in expectation that they would be the new entrance gates to Queen Victoria’s Norfolk retreat at Sandringham. However, the company’s trade stand also housed a statue of Oliver Cromwell, which resulted in the Queen being steered well clear of the company’s products. The gates remained unloved at the Coalbrookdale works for 30 years until they were seen by a Warrington iron founder and councillor, and acquired to replace an ugly brick wall and frame views of the Town Hall.

Warrington Town Hall was originally Bank Hall, built in 1750 for wealthy industrialist Thomas Patten. His copper smelting works were close by. It was sold to the Corporation in 1872, when it became the Town Hall.