ROWNTREE Park will be without its famous and distinctive gates for the next three months while they undergo repairs.
The gates, believed to have been made in France in 1715 by Jean Tijou, were installed in the 1950s as a memorial to employees of the family's York cocoa works.
But for now they will rest in the workshop of Wigginton-based architectural blacksmiths Don Barker Ltd until badly needed restoration is complete.
"A lot of the work will be straightening out bars and replacing ornate leaves," said blacksmith Trevor Clark.
"But we're used to this kind of work."
Other projects for the company include the new gates to Westminster Abbey as well as numerous iron workings all over the country.
"We do a lot of work for the National Trust and English Heritage," said Trevor.
"You never know what's round the corner."
The 23-acre park was donated to the city by the Rowntree family in 1921 to commemorate company employees who had fallen during the First World War.
Repairs to the gates are being funded by City of York Council and the lottery's Heritage Memorial Fund.
Updated: 12:56 Friday, January 10, 2003
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