GATES, FENCES, AND EDGINGS 55 



The actual construction of gates will hardly come within 

 the province of the amateur, unless he is exceptionally 

 skilled in the use of tools, and has, moreover, a well- 

 appointed workshop in which to fit together his materials. 

 In the wilder parts of the garden, however, a gate is 

 sometimes a necessity, and here he may try his hand with 

 some prospect of success. Stiles, turn-wickets, and gates 

 with drop-bars are but seldom introduced into gardens, 

 and belong more to agriculture, where a simple means 

 for excluding cattle, and yet allowing a free passage for 

 pedestrians, is all that is needed. 



Some of the most beautiful gates I have seen were con- 

 structed of wrought iron, the design being sufficiently 

 elaborate without undue complexity. In every case these 

 gates were used in connection with stone or brick walls, 

 and were overarched with masonry. Wrought-iron gates 

 are not in the least suitable for use with wooden fences, 

 and they rarely look well near red brickwork ; grey or 

 white stone being the material with which they associate 

 most readily. The best position for this style of gate is 

 a deep arch in a stone wall, where the grille-like effect 

 obtained by the black iron tracery is in perfect accord 

 with the solidity and strength of the surrounding masonry. 

 Such gates being purely ornamental — for they are rarely 

 used on boundary walls — should, of course, only be adopted 

 when the view looking through them either way is good. 

 If the path runs from the flower to the kitchen garden, a 

 solid door would be better, as in the majority of places 

 the surroundings of the vegetable ground are not so 

 picturesque as might be. A good design in wrought iron 

 would come somewhat expensive, so that in gardens of 

 small extent the wooden gate or door will be largely 

 employed. In selecting a design, due consideration should 

 be given to the importance, or otherwise, of the position 

 it is to occupy. A simple wicket gate, as rustic as possible 

 in appearance, would suffice for the division between 



