Why gates
A wall says no. A door says come in, maybe. A gate says both, depending on the day.
It keeps the sheep in and lets the walker through. It creaks, it latches, it leans a little after forty winters. Every gate is a small agreement between the people on either side of it.
We think that deserves a page.
A few gates worth stopping for
-
Five-bar gate
The countryside classic. Five rails, one diagonal brace, and a latch that needs a proper shove. Best leaned on at sunset.
-
Kissing gate
A little gate that swings inside a U-shaped enclosure. People pass, livestock don't. It is named for the way it touches, or kisses, both sides.
-
Lychgate
A roofed gateway at the entrance to an old churchyard. It has been keeping the rain off visitors for a few hundred years and shows no sign of stopping.
-
Torii
Marks the threshold of a Shinto shrine in Japan. It has no doors at all, which makes it the most trusting gate on this list.
-
Garden gate
Wrought iron, a curl of scrollwork, a latch that clicks. Usually painted black or green, and always slightly too narrow for the wheelbarrow.
-
Moon gate
A perfect circle cut into a garden wall, found in classical Chinese gardens. Stepping through one is said to bring good fortune.
Please close the gate
- Leave it as you found it: open if it was open, closed if it was closed.
- Lift, don't drag. The hinges will thank you.
- Never climb it. Use the latch, or look for the stile.
- Say hello on your way through. It has seen a lot.
Most arguments about gates are really arguments about the latch. We have opinions, but we keep them to ourselves.