Monument record 0420807004 - Ha Ha, Nelson's Walk, Stowe: gateway

During 1993, when extensive repairs were being made to the ha-ha, a gateway was discovered mid-way between the bastion and former site of Nelson's Seat. Documentary evidence suggests that it is contemporary with the first building of the ha-ha in 1717 or 1718. Sarah Bridgeman's plan of 1739 shows a gap in the trees rather than a gate, and this gap is also shown in Rigaud's 1733 engraving. By 1750, it appears to have been blocked up and no longer in use. It seems likely that livestock may have used this gate before being herded down the walk and out into the Home Park via the Boycott Pavillions. The piers of the gateway are made from rectangular pilaster-like structures incorporated into the building of the walk. They are 0.75m square and 2m tall. Large blocks of ironstone have been used to face each pier. The top surface of the topmost block carries the hinge pin. The plinth consists of large ironstone blocks 0.30m in depth laid on gravel. The threshhold stones appear to have been removed. The ramp consists of uneven sized blocks of limestone set in a bed of orange/brown clay. (1)