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Gareth beech tells of the history
of the t~ad~tional Welsh gate
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ne aspect of the work of txaditional country carpenters that
was not so widely noticed was
that of making wooden gates.
There emerged in Wales a large number of gate designs, with different
counties having their own distinctive
patterns and carpenters, including
individual features and markings.
Country carpenters developed different designs to suit local conditions
using locally-available materials.
However, as entrances were widened
for ever larger tractors, combines and
other farm machinery, many traditional
gates were discarded and replaced,by
modern welded steel gates.
If new wooden gates were used, they
were often of the ubiquitous fourbrace diamond pattern without any
local characteristics or traditional features. As a consequence, some traditional designs became much less common.
The origins of gate-making lie in the
gradual enclosure of land for animal
husbandry and the need to stockproof
field entrances and boundaries.
Animals provided food and the materials for two important industries,those
of woollen manufacturing and leather
production. Rudimentary barriers at
field entrances were mounds of earth,
temporary dry stone walls and wooden
hurdles made of poles fitting into
upright stakes. To open the entrance,
each pole had to be removed individually from the stakes, atime-consuming
and inconvenient task. These temporary constructions gradually evolved
into gates which were more durable,
efficient and easier to use. By the
nineteenth century gates were a permanent feature of the landscape, with
many different regional and county
variations influenced by local conditions and materials.
The isolated nature of many parts of
Wales required communities to be
largely self-sufficient. Every rural
community had its essential craftsmen
such as the wheelwright, blacksmith
and carpenter for making agricultural
items. Gate-making was practised primarily by country carpenters, but also
by farmers on isolated farmsteads, for
whom making gates, tools and equipment was part of farmwork.
The country carpenter's work required
versatility, encompassing a wide range
of tasks from erecting and maintaining
farm buildings to making tool handles
and coffins. In many areas the carpenter was a combined joiner, cabinet-
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maker and cooper. Many craftsmen
worked closely with each other and
their workshops were often in close
proximity. The local blacksmith was
a key figure, supplying iron hinges,
latches and hooks for the gates.
Gate-making was often undertaken
during the winter months when bad
weather restricted outdoor work.
The workshop usually had a floor of
beaten earth, was lit by candles and
heated by an open fire. Indoor work
consisted of making tool handles,
wheelbarrows and coffins in addition to gates. Farming in Wales was
based upon very traditional techniques and tools which changed
very slowly. Consequently much of
the carpenter's work was making
and repairing wooden implements,
tolls and vehciles such as the small
two-wheeled cart.
Making a gate was a day's work for
an experienced carpenter. All the
work — planing, mortising, tenoning
and fitting —was done by hand.
Larch fire was ideal for frames,
gates and porches, whilst oak, willow and chestnut were used in other
area, reflecting local adailability.
An eight-foot gate was wide enough
for a horse and cart to go through
and also a team of horses driven
abreast. The entrances proved too
narrow, however, when implements
such as the horse-drawn field rake
were introduced, which resulted in
gate widths increasing to ten feet.
After the Second World War, field
entrances were widened to 12 feet
for the larger tractor-drawn machinery and new combine harvesters.
Different parts of Wales have their
own distinctive gate patterns. Some
counties like Montgomeryshire and
Cardiganshire have several varieties
of their own. A typical
Cardiganshire gate has a single
brace extending from the heel post
to the top rail, and two or more vertical straps. The number of vertical
straps and horizontal spanes can
vary. Some gates had more spanes
which were closer together nearer
the ground to prevent lambs getting
through. The brace and straps are
mortised into the top rail and a
combination of through and stopped
mortises used in the posts.
It was common to have a brace
from the heel post to the top rail to
support the gate against compression. There would often be more
than one brace, with possibly a tie
or strut such as on a gate pattern.
that originated in Montgomeryshire.
The design is unique in the way the
four braces and ties cross at four
points. A Brecknockshire pattern
gate has two braces, each from the
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base of the heelpost, but on different sides of the gate and of different
lengths.
A means of including an individual
feature on a gate was by shaping a
design known as a `jowl' into the
underside of the top rail. This was
the carpenter's individual mark and
usually consisted of a series of
curves. The gates in some areas
were synonymous with a particular
craftsman because of the design of
the jowl or pattern. Gates in southwest Cardiganshire were easily
identifiable as being the work of
Tom Davies of Sarnau by the use of
a second shorter brace for additional
strength.
The use of cleft oak to make gates
was common before sawn oak
became more readily available.
Examples of such gates are now rare
in Wales but they are still being
made by Mr G M Evans, a retired
farmer at Dolanog near Welshpool.
Mr Evans began making gates in the
late 1930s when it was a necessity
to be able to maintain and replace
the gates on his farm.
Oak logs from a neighbouring farm
are split into several lengths using a
hatchet and a mallet. The wood is
half-dry, splitting easier along the
grain than when fully seasoned. All
the work is done by hand, without