Grade II
Entrance gateway to Mesnes Park
Mesnes Park, Wigan
Description
The gate piers and gates serve as the entrance to the park and are dated 1878.
The gates of Wigan’s Mesnes Park were damaged in a car accident (exact date unknown). After the incident, all the fragments of the gate were collected, and it was discovered that the former Wigan Coat of Arms, which adorned the centre of each gate, had remained undamaged when the runaway car struck the structure.
The fragments were sent to Seven Stars Forge of Bridge and Sons (Wigan) Ltd., structural engineers. A spokesman commented, “It was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to overcome it and restore the gates to their original condition.” Some splicing and welding were necessary during the restoration process.
Interestingly, the gates nearly faced destruction during the national scrap metal drive in the WWII. Alongside tons of other scrap metal, they ended up at a local scrap dealer's yard. However, they were fortunate to escape being melted down and were later rediscovered and repurchased by the Corporation after the conflict had ended. Bridge and Sons (Wigan) Ltd. then restored the gates, which were reinstated at the main park entrance on Bridgeman Terrace in July 1950.
Each gate measures six feet wide and eight feet six inches tall at its highest point, and they weigh between 7 and 8 hundredweight. The stone pillars supporting the gates have also been restored. The gate piers and gates serve as the entrance to the park.
