A gatepost is a structure used to support
gate
A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...
s or crossbars which control entry to an area, such as a field or driveway.
Purpose
![Busbiestile](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Busbiestile.JPG)
If the gatepost is utilitarian in purpose then gateposts will be made as strictly functional structures; however as part of the 'advertisement' of the status of the family who live beyond, they are often carefully designed and constructed and sometimes highly ornate or individualistic. Gateposts give an additional element of character to the countryside and conurbations, significantly they also play host a habitat for many
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.[moss
Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...]
and
liverwort
The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of g ...
species.
Construction materials
They are often made of wood, such as old railway sleepers, telegraph poles or even tree trunks. For a longer 'life' more resilient iron girders or pipes may be used and concrete posts are sometimes employed. The older examples were often made of stone, such as
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
, whinstone,
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
or
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
. Occasionally
standing stones
A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be foun ...
have been moved and re-used as gateposts, especially on
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers .
The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...
and in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. Bricks are frequently used and some are made from stones or small boulders, tending to be cylindrical in shape.
Slip gate piers and stoups
Slip gate
Slip Gates,Clifford also known as Stang Stoops, Yatsteads
or Stang Pole Gateways are a form of simple gate that once commonly in Europe controlled access to fields, lanes, etc. using removable cross-bars and two fixed posts, often of stone. The ...
s are a form of gate which permits people and vehicles through an entrance but which blocks the passage of animals. Branches or worked wood crossbars or stangs were used, one field
slip gate pier with 'L' shaped grooves and the opposing stile gatepost with square or circular concavities to receive the three or four horizontal crossbars. Most of these have long been converted to carry hinged gates, though one survives unaltered at the
Museum of Scottish Rural Life, Kittochside on Wester Kittochside farm, East Kilbride, Scotland. They were sometimes made entirely of wood, such as oak, which is relatively long lasting.
The term 'Stoup' is used in
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
and some examples are elaborately finished, with dates and initials and even whole names, sometimes with the sort of flowing script more usually found on gravestones. One example is dated as far back as 1663.
[Rollinson, William (1998). Making Drystone Walls. Pub. Smith Settle. . Pp. 36 - 39.]
The shape of the stile gateposts is variable, mostly being oblong and square in section; however, some were
tombstone-shaped, having two flat sides and a curved top.
Gatepost designs
Ornate gateposts
Many houses have driveways of varying lengths and gateposts are a way of making a social statement of status, through the cost implications of an ornate or 'awe inspiring' entrance way.
Some entrances had two or even three gates attached to the gateposts, such as at Robertland House in
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquart ...
, Scotland, the side gates being for the use of pedestrians. The gates themselves could be wood or more commonly
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
,
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
or
mild steel
Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states:
* no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt ...
. A large number of the cast-iron gates were removed by the
Ministry of Works in World War II to be melted down and used to build weapons, etc. Once removed these gates were rarely replaced.
A sign of very high status was to have sufficient wealth to have gatehouses or lodges near the gates. Some estates had several lodges and the owners would at one time have employed people to live in these buildings and their jobs would be to open and close the gates, thereby controlling the movements of livestock and also of visitors, some of whom would be denied access or directed way from the front door to the tradesman's entrance.
The date of construction can often be deduced from the style, many being
Victorian, due to the wealth creation of the period and the number of large dwellings consequently constructed. Large balls, looking like
finial
A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature.
In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...
s are sometimes precariously perched on top of gateposts, as at
Woodway House
Woodway House is in Teignmouth, South Devon, England. It was at one time a farm on lands held by the Bishops of Exeter. In around 1815 a thatched "cottage" in the " cottage ornée" style of Horace Walpole's (1717–1797) Thames-side villa,Evans, ...
in
Teignmouth
Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about 12 miles south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14,749 at the ...
, South Devon.
Estate gateposts
Country estates, usually having one owner, tend to show a degree of uniformity in the design of gateposts, which were mostly purchased at the same time. Different estates can sometimes be 'mapped' by the gateposts used, various designs being supplied for the different landowners to choose from. It may be that the same suppliers also made milestones for the turnpike trusts as the two are sometimes of very similar appearance.
Many gateposts have been removed to allow for the access of larger modern farm machinery, sometimes only one has been moved and the other left in situ.
Examples of gateposts
File:Woodway4-sale.jpg, Woodway House
Woodway House is in Teignmouth, South Devon, England. It was at one time a farm on lands held by the Bishops of Exeter. In around 1815 a thatched "cottage" in the " cottage ornée" style of Horace Walpole's (1717–1797) Thames-side villa,Evans, ...
with its granite gateposts and the cast-iron gates which survived being cut up during WW2.
File:Pollarded trees in Kilmaurs Ayrshire.JPG, Painted gateposts and pollarded
Pollarding is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches. In ancient Rome, Propertius mentioned pollarding during the 1st century BCE. The practice oc ...
trees on a driveway in Kilmaurs
Kilmaurs () is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which lies just outside of the largest settlement in East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock. It lies on the Carmel Water, southwest of Glasgow. Population recorded for the village in the 2001 Census recorde ...
, Ayrshire.
File:Glencairnchurch.JPG, Glencairn Kirk in Kilmaurs
Kilmaurs () is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which lies just outside of the largest settlement in East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock. It lies on the Carmel Water, southwest of Glasgow. Population recorded for the village in the 2001 Census recorde ...
with a cast-iron fence and gateposts.
File:Chapeltonwalls1.JPG, The old gateposts from the demolished Chapelton House at Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.
Templeton and the Knights Templar
The feudal allocatio ...
, Stewarton
Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
gd, Baile nan Stiùbhar ...
, Ayrshire.
File:Floorsgatepost.JPG, A gatepost at Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.
Templeton and the Knights Templar
The feudal allocatio ...
Terrace, North Ayrshire. Originally from Floors Farm. A perfect habitat for lichens. mosses and algae. 2007.
File:Cutstrawcurling.JPG, A gatepost with a Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...
Stone top.
File:Cutstrawcurling2.JPG, Detail of a curling stone on top of a gatepost at Cutstraw in Stewarton
Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
gd, Baile nan Stiùbhar ...
, East Ayrshire. 2007.
File:Byresgatepost.JPG, A gatepost at Byres Farm, North Ayrshire. 2007.
File:Warwickhillgatepost.JPG, A double gatepost at Warwickdale Farm, Springside, North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...
. 2007.
File:Chapeltoungate.JPG, The old side entrance gate to the old Chapelton House, Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.
Templeton and the Knights Templar
The feudal allocatio ...
, East Ayrshire. 2007.
File:Fairlielodge.JPG,
File:Knockentiberhouse.JPG,
File:Hillstile.JPG,
File:LawMountMilestone.jpg,
File:Hillgate.JPG,
File:Chapeltoungatepost.JPG,
File:Overtounfarmgatepost.JPG,
File:Kerse Stile.JPG,
File:Gate View, Eskdale.jpg,
File:EglintonStablesgate.JPG,
File:Speir's gate detail.JPG,
File:Flashwood Stile slots.JPG,
File:Flashwood Stile.JPG,
File:Cunningham Baidland stile.JPG,
Examples of gatehouses
File:Dunlopgatehouse.jpg, Dunlop House, with its entrance lodge and gateposts.
File:Thorntounlodge.JPG, The West Lodge gateposts at Thorntoun, Springside, North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...
.
File:Giffingatehouse.JPG,
File:Stanecastle gate at Eglinton.jpg,
File:Kennoxgates2007.JPG,
File:Millburn lodge eglinton.JPG,
Eccentric gateposts
Sometimes the personality of the builders of gateways are exhibited, for instance in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
it is not too unusual to find
curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...
stones crowning a gatepost. Examples of gateposts with highly ornate railings are sometimes found outside new houses where they dominate the dwelling itself.
See also
*
Gate
A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...
s
*
Gatehouse
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mos ...
*
Slip gate
Slip Gates,Clifford also known as Stang Stoops, Yatsteads
or Stang Pole Gateways are a form of simple gate that once commonly in Europe controlled access to fields, lanes, etc. using removable cross-bars and two fixed posts, often of stone. The ...
References
External links
{{Commons category, Gateposts
Encyclopedia.com article on Ornamental ironworkColumbia Encyclopedia article on ornamental ironworkEncyclopædia Britannica article on metalwork*
A Researcher's Guide to Local History terminology
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
Gates
Street furniture