The ornate gates at the entrance to St Nicholas’ Gardens in Whitehaven have been granted Grade-II listed status by Historic England.
The gates once surrounded the tomb of Sir James Lowther, who played a vital role in the economic development of the town.
The listing has come about due to an application, made by Copeland Council’s conservation officer Samuel Woodford, who is a member of Whitehaven Heritage Action Group.
Mr Woodford said: “These gates and railings are some of the oldest and most significant ironwork in Whitehaven, being originally created as ornamentation for the tomb of Sir James Lowther in Trinity Church when he died in 1755.
“When the church was demolished in 1949, the gates and railings were moved into the grounds of St Nicholas’ Church, a short distance away.
“They can be found at the north-east end of the gardens. Being listed recognises the significance, and raises the profile of this important heritage asset.”
Historic England say the gates and railings are of architectural interest, due to the “high quality” decorative, mid-18th century wrought ironwork, which exhibits a “high standard of workmanship and detail”.
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Sir James Lowther, fourth Baronet of Whitehaven, was reputed to be the richest commoner in the land when he died at the age of 81 in January 1755.
His body was laid to rest 19 days later in a tomb on a raised podium within the Church of the Holy Trinity, in Trinity Gardens. In 1803, a marble memorial tablet was erected to his memory.
When the church was demolished in 1949, the marble tablet and wrought-iron work were transferred to the rebuilt Church of St Nicholas and Sir James Lowther’s body was exhumed and re-interred there in February 1949.
Remarkably, the tablet, the gate and railings survived the major fire at St Nicholas’ Church on August 31, 1971, which destroyed most of the building, except for the tower and fragments of the outer walls.
The tablet was disposed of in 1989, but the gate and railings were installed at the north-east entrance of St Nicholas Gardens that faces out onto Duke Street.
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