Throughout our countryside the remains of rusty old
gates can be seen but more and more they are being removed and replaced by
modern gates. Many of these gates date
to the 19th century and are a tribute to the skills of the
blacksmiths who made them. Those same
blacksmiths also made more elaborate gates for the entrances to farmhouses,
large and small.
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| Field gate near Kilgobnet. Drawing by W. Fraher 1980. |
Gerald Tyler’s article on these gates is a great introduction to the topic. He notes that:
‘Many of the gates are stamped with the smith’s
trade-mark and it is not unusual to find ordinary gates bearing a date nearly
200 years old. That they have survived
many years of opening, climbing over, and being pushed against is a tribute to
the maker’s skill and sense of practical design’.
While the gates were first of all functional, they
also allowed the blacksmith to introduce decorative elements. The smiths were inventive and the gates which
can be seen in our countryside all vary in their finished design. Blacksmiths also had their own distinctive
mark or sometimes their name or initials are stamped on the gate.
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| Field gate, Ballyduff. Drawing by W. Fraher 1980. |
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| Field gate, Ballyduff. Drawing by W. Fraher 1980 |
A standard arrangement of the elements was essential for the gate to function properly. Many gates have one horizontal brace to ensure the gate is square. In later gates these are replaced by a hoop and as Tyler states: ‘The hooped brace required much sledgehammering in its shaping and a hooped gate might take twice as long to make as one with a straight brace…many gates are made in whole, or in part, from old wheel bands which have been re-worked’.
To ensure that small animals could not squeeze
through, the space between the horizontal bars was reduced the nearer they were
to the ground.
Iron field gates are unique to Ireland as most field
gates in England were constructed of wood.
Therefore, we should treasure those which remain and make a visual
record of them. If you would like to
help please take part in our Heritage Week project – ‘Become an Ironwork Detective’
Photograph or draw gates near you and send the images and information to info@waterfordmuseum.ie
Gerald Tyler, The Iron Gate – Relic of a Forgotten
Craft, Old Kilkenny Review, 1977. pp.278-283.
The Vernacular Forged Wrought Iron Field Gate, Kilkenny Co Council 2014.
www.irishbacksmiths.com Guide to Best Practices for the Restoration of
Irish Historic Ironwork, 2013.
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| Field gate near Dungarvan. Drawing by W. Fraher 1980 |
Gate drawings - Details of field gate ornamentation, West Waterford.
Drawings by W. Fraher 1980
