Elegant Palace-Style Forged Fence (BP269)

BP269 is a sumptuous palace fence. Gilded forged crowns sit on top of the pillars and can also be made as lamps, while arched panels of scrolls fill the spans between them.

The spans are steel, but we can also make them in bronze or brass if you prefer.

A palace frontage along the street

BP269 is designed for houses that are meant to impress from the street. Every pillar carries a forged crown with gilded leaves, and between them stand tall panels filled with symmetrical scrolls that rise to an arched top. Gold accents on the scrolls repeat the gilding of the crowns, so the eye travels along the fence from one pillar to the next.

On the house in the photo the fence runs in front of a white facade, and the white pillars tie the ironwork to the architecture. It is a good example of a fence treated as part of the building, not as a separate barrier added later.

Crowns, lanterns and finials

The crowns on the pillars are forged from many individual leaves and bands, then gilded by hand. They can stay purely decorative, or we can build a light inside so that each crown becomes a lantern at night. Some clients prefer a pine cone, a ball or an eagle in the same place; the pillar caps are easy to adapt to the style of the house.

Because the crowns sit high, they are designed to be seen from a distance and to survive wind and frost. They are fixed with a steel spigot into the pillar cap rather than simply resting on top.

The lighting option is popular on long frontages, where a row of glowing crowns marks the edge of the property after dark and lights the pavement for visitors. Wiring runs inside the pillars, so nothing spoils the look by day.

Steel, bronze or brass

The spans are normally made of galvanized, painted steel with gilded highlights. For the most prestigious projects the panels or the ornament can be made in bronze or brass instead, which develops its own warm colour over time and needs no paint.

Symmetry matters on a fence like this. The scrolls are bent over templates so that the left and right halves of each panel match, and the arches are set out so that every span reaches the same height at its centre.

• a matching driveway gate with a higher arch and a central crest,
• a pedestrian gate in the same pattern,
• optional lighting in the pillar crowns,
• a finish in black and gold, antique bronze or ivory.

See also our forged gate pillars if you would like metal posts instead of masonry ones.