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The Soulton Hall Blog

There was a gate here, once

By 2 March 2025No Comments

A Lost Renaissance View: Frustratingly Obscured

 

The architectural integrity of Soulton Hall’s Epidaurus court has been compromised by the blocking of its principal a long time ago, but in modern times.

Soulton Hall peaking over the currently walled-up Major Gate into the Epidaurus Court

Soulton Hall peaking over the currently walled-up Major Gate into the Epidaurus Court – a decisive view form the dawn of the English Renaissance, lost for the moment

This gate, once a focal point connecting the court to the Eleusinian Avenue and the Well of Catharsis the other end, and the bride beyond, has been obscured by later walling.

Wehen deleting this feature, the family and the masons were careful to document its having been there

When deleting this feature, the family and the masons were careful to document its having been there

All four places you would need to identify the lost gate were carefully signalled when the work was done.

All four places you would need to identify the lost gate were carefully signalled when the work was done.

The tell-tale signs – the non-structural buttresses, the modern inserted brickwork – are a testament to this unfortunate alteration.

Through our research and writing, we aim to reassert the importance of this lost Tudor feature, restoring its historical context and revealing the intended flow and function of this remarkable space.

Scholarly reconstruction of Soulton Hall in accession created by James D. Wenn and James R. Syrett of Byrga Geniht Ltd for Soulton Hall in 2024

Scholarly reconstruction of Soulton Hall in accession created by James D. Wenn and James R. Syrett of Byrga Geniht Ltd for Soulton Hall in 2024