Traditional Wrought Iron Gates
Traditional wrought iron gates are the heart of our workshop. These are openwork driveway and entrance gates made the way blacksmiths have made them for centuries: bars drawn out and scrolled at the anvil, leaves and acanthus shaped one at a time, joints fixed with collars and rivets. Here you will find restrained manor gates, richly carved baroque and palace gates, Art Nouveau designs and even a Gothic gate.
Our traditional gate designs
Each design can be changed or redrawn from scratch. Most of them can be built as classic double swing gates, as sliding gates, or with a fixed crown that stays in place above the opening while the leaves swing beneath it. They are part of our wider range of wrought iron gates.
Manor, baroque and palace gates
Manor gates are elegant and fairly restrained, with long vertical bars, a gentle crest and a band of lattice or scrolls at the bottom. Baroque gates pack the ornament of a palace into the width of an ordinary driveway. True palace gates are the grandest of all, often with a fixed crown, a family crest and an overall height of up to six metres (about 20 ft).
Openwork or half-solid, with matching wickets and pillars
A fully openwork gate keeps the view of the house and garden. If you want more privacy, many designs can be built half-solid, with screening panels set inside the frame, or double-sided, so the same pattern faces the street and the house. For complete privacy, see our solid wrought iron gates.
A gate rarely stands alone. We forge pedestrian wickets, openwork steel pillars and fence panels in the same pattern, and for the largest properties we design complete palace gate sets.
Built to last outdoors
After forging, each gate is hot-dip galvanized, primed, painted and, if you wish, patinated or gilded. All our gates can be prepared for automatic openers, swing or sliding. Measuring, delivery and installation are handled by our own team in Europe, and we ship gates with fitting instructions to the USA, the UK and further afield.
Traditional gates in historic styles
Traditional forged gates cover a wide range of styles inspired by historic architecture and classic European blacksmithing. In this category what matters most is style, proportion and the shape of the top line, rather than the engineering alone.
Gothic gates are becoming more popular too. They draw on the vertical character of historic forms: slender proportions, pointed arches, strong vertical divisions and a more austere look give an entrance a distinctly architectural feel. The Gothic style demands precision and a sense of proportion, because its strength lies in the detail and in the way visual weight is distributed, as in our Gothic gate BP164.
Among our inspirations you will also find Art Nouveau gates, built on flowing lines and organic motifs, and designs drawn from classical antiquity. In these projects harmony, a calm composition and elegance born of proportion matter more than abundant ornament.
Openwork, proportion and a grand entrance
Openwork is one of the defining features of traditional gates. A well-designed openwork gate does not overwhelm the front of the property but frames the house and brings order to the space. The rhythm of the bars, the balance of the panels and a carefully drawn top line directly shape how the whole property is perceived.
On the grandest projects we add fixed crowns above the leaves, heraldic details, family crests and elaborate ornamental compositions, which create a monumental entrance, especially on wide plots and with residential architecture. The height of the gate and the relationship between its working and decorative parts matter too: a form that is too heavy can overwhelm the house, while one that is too light will not convey the character of the property.
With such a wide range of inspirations, a gate can be matched not only to the fence but to the whole concept of the entrance, from a calm manor design to an elaborate historic composition. A traditional entrance is timeless; it does not follow passing trends and keeps its aesthetic value for many years.
Traditional gate FAQ
Can you copy a gate from a photo?
Yes. Many clients send a photo of a historic gate they love; we redraw it to the size of their opening and forge it by hand.
How long does a hand-forged gate take?
It depends on size and detail. A manor gate takes a few weeks, while a large palace gate with a crown can take several months; we give you a firm date when the design is approved.