The Golden Gates - no not San Fransciso

These magnificent cast-iron gates were made at the Coalbrookdale Iron Works for the International Exhibition of 1862. It is said that they were designed for Sandringham Palace, one of Queen Victoria's homes, but the Queen rejected them as she was not amused to see the gates displayed next to a statue of Oliver Cromwell who had previously signed the death warrant of her ancestor King Charles I.

The gates were presented to the town by Councillor Frederick Monks on Warrington Walking Day in 1895 to replace an ugly brick wall.

From 1900 until 1942 the Walker Foundation stood behind the gates, which were still painted black. The gates were then painted in their royal golden colours for Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee of 1977 and illuminated to celebrate the Millennium in 2000

When entering Warrington and heading for Golden Square shopping mall we tend to go round this way and they always look impressive any time of the day, best view I've had was early morning when the sun comes across the roof lines behind me on my way into work, still happy with this blip with ramdom pedestrian giving it some sense on size