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OLD WEST SURREY 



manent charge, and I doubt whether, taking this into con- 

 sideration and the original expense of the iron-work and 

 its erection, the eventual balance of cost would not be in 

 favour of the oak post and rail. 



And what a capital thing is the unpainted oak five- 

 barred gate, with its stout top rail, thinning away for light- 

 ness' sake after it has received the slightly-curved stiffening 



The Five-Barred Gate 



brace. The gate in the picture, otherwise of a good type, 

 with its correctly-shaped, slightly-curved brace, is faulty 

 in that it has only four bars. To a critical gate-eye it 

 looks thin at the bottom. The two top bars are rightly 

 placed, then there should be three bars below that ; these 

 three being closer together. 



The usual fastening of the older gates was a wooden latch, 

 with the alternative of the iron spring, with upright handle 

 topped by a knob, so easily opened by a man on horseback. 



