Listed Building: LANDPORT GATE (1387159)

Town gate. 1760. Attributed to Nicholas Hawksmoor (executed after his death). Ashlar. Baroque. Central projecting arched part has horizontal splayed rustications, segmental arched opening with rusticated voussoirs, projecting keystone and flanking voussoirs with crown relief to keystone, moulded impost, cornice with shaped brackets set on moulded string. Stone octagonal turret with openings each set under recessed flat stone lintel and flanked by scrolled pilasters, cornice and tented roof with ball finial. On left and right return is a segmental arched opening with flanking 'filled in' flat arched openings. At north face is a 2-leaf 3 panelled diamond patterned boarded door with infill over set under similar segmental arch as at front. Internal vaulted brickwork ceiling. Flanking the centre part is a short length of the original coursed dressed stone wall now raked up to 4 courses above impost, plain string course, cornice and block parapet. Landport gate is the only Portsmouth gateway to survive on its original site. This was the principal entrance into Portsmouth prior to the demolition of the fortifications in 1875. Scheduled Ancient Monument. (Balfour A: Portsmouth: Highgate Hill, London N19: 1970-: 26, 27; Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974-: 35, 57, 60, 61; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1973-: 451 AND 452). Selected Sources Books and journals Balfour, A, Portsmouth, (1970), 26,27 Lloyd, D W , Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs, (1974), 61 Lloyd, D W , Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs, (1974), 35,57,60 Pevsner, N, Lloyd, D, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, (1973), 451,452