Whereas doors are generally associated with entries to a building, or interior walls of buildings, gates are usually associated with exterior walls or fences. Gates can be similar to doors – they are usually hinged, and they may have a latch or opening mechanism. You can usually see through a gate, so you have a better idea of what is on the other side before you get there.
I have selected a few images of gates from the UK as a variation on the theme of doors for my first Thursday Doors post of the new year.
The first gate image is a favourite of mine, as it includes my first name. You can see through the gate and peer into the dark and mysterious Nicholas Wood.
The next two images continue with the theme of gates incorporated into the landscape. The gate at the entry to a public footpath is hinged and has a spring to keep it closed, in order to keep the sheep on the other side of the drystone wall. The second gate stands alone on the edge of a farmer’s field, while the fence has disappeared. I like to think that gates are more important and enduring than fences (or walls), as they allow for the movement of people, thoughts and ideas.
The next two gates are associated with walls. We have heard a lot of talk about walls recently, so I won’t contribute to the hubris. I will simply restate my preference for gates.
The last two gates are associated with final resting places. The graveyard gate provides a vision to a place of burial, as well as to the ocean and the sky beyond.
For many people in the past, this final gate was a one way gate, which subsequently led to a beheading or another form of execution. Many prisoners accused of treason were taken to the Tower of London along the Thames River and through the Traitors’ Gate during the Tudor era in England.
This gate was originally called the Water Gate, when it was built for King Edward I, and these types of gates are now referred to as watergates. Ironic name, isn’t it?
