Leith Hall, East Garden
Date June 2006
Event ID 967323
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/967323
The East Garden is enclosed by a rubble stone wall, with corner pillars and a number of entrances.
The north wall of the garden is features the Moongate (013) (NJ52NW 256).
The south wall (069) is 1.48m in height, heavily cement rendered, with flat concrete coping c50mm thick. Extend from pillar 065, on both sides of gate 070 and W to pillar 071.
Gate piers 070A, B in wall 069. Piers are 600mm square, built of grey granite blocks (unlike wall 069) with the corners chamfered. Height to base of pediment: 1.9m. Pediment 670mm high of buff/grey sandstone with three stepped blocks surmounted by a ball shaped finial on a collared neck.
Gate 070C: Wrought iron gate 2.17m high and 1.48m wide is hung on E pier with pivot at base and a collar at the top. Reciever for lock on W pier. Central spike with fleur de lys, side spikes spear headed.
This part of the garden first appears on the 1900 (1899) OS map, when a gateway is shown in this position. The overall appearance of this gate and the chamfered edges of the pillars is very similar to the main gate piers on the East and West Drives, but the ball finials have a different shaped neck.
The wall (075) between the East and West gardens ranges in height between 1.7m and 2m. Cement rendered rubble stone wall with rustic dressed red sandstone capstones. It rises in a straight angle from pillar 073 and climbs the slope of the East Garden in a series of steps. In it's centre, stone pillars (084A,B) flank the entry between E and West Gardens. Pillars are 550mm square with pediment of four sandstone slabs with pyramidal finial.
Wall 085 curves E from the pillars 084. It has a wooden gate in it and forms the S wall of an enclosed area used for nursery plants. The E side of this enclosure has the scar of an earlier lean-to shed. (087)
The Laird's Gate (153) connects the East Garden with the Laird's Wood to the south.
Gate piers 153A, B: Square sectioned granite piers, with blocks alternating with small stones end on ( cf piers of pedestrian gate on West Drive). Pediment of square block 80mm thick surmounted by ball finial on neck with squared base (490mm high).
Gate 153C: Wrought iron gate of this rectangular sectioned bar. Decoration withcorkscrew terminals. Painted green. Hung on E side with iron pivot at base and bracket at top.
Gate 154 opens on the road between Leith Hall and the Stables.
Piers 154A,B: Stone gate piers 420mm square with rustic dressed sandstone pediment 70mm thick surmounted by a roughly bun shaped terminal.
Gate 154C: Wrought iron. Painted black. Hung on N pier.
Wall 154D: There is a short section of stone wall on either side, curving out to gate. This extends 2.05m to N where the line is continued by a wire fence. To the S it extends 7.10m, reducing in height from the gate. This wall butts against wall 152 and partially overlies it at the join.
The East Garden also contains a number of statues (091, 144) and benches (083, 092, 095, 142, 143, 148)
(LEI06 65, 69, 70, 71, 75, 84, 85, 87, 153, 154)
Information from NTS (SCS) November 2013
