Description

Wrought iron garden gates add a splash ofquality and splendor to any home. The visitor's first encounterwith your home is at the garden gate. What better then, than agreat looking, solid and traditional styled gate that goes beyondfunctionality to provide a magnificent center piece, a focal pointthat leads naturally and inevitably to your front door. Firstimpressions count, and nothing will impress better than a dash ofVictorian reminiscence, craftsmanship and quality almost forgottenin our modern age. Wrought iron garden gates can certainly say itwith style.

Wrought iron lies somewhere between pure iron and steel, fallinga bit closer to pure iron, which it was once termed. It has a lowcarbon content, while pure iron requires a carbon content below0.008% by weight. Steel, on the other hand, typically has a highcarbon content. Some grades of steel, such as stainless steel foundin household cutlery, for example, have a very high carbon content.This is quite different from the likes of stainless steel. Inaddition to a low carbon content, it also has impurities, fibrousinclusions called slag. This is what gives wrought iron its grainy,almost wood like appearance.

Wrought iron is extremely malleable and ductile, which means itcan be worked, or wrought, easily. It is also very strong andextremely durable. There are still plenty of examples of Victorianiron workings in most of the major cities to be seen. They haveendured for over 100 years and will most likely endure for muchlonger too. This is the material that the ideal iron garden gate ismade of.

Unfortunately, most of today's wrought iron items only lendtheir name to a the appearance, and the actual material used ismild steel. This is also a relatively low carbon substance, assteel goes, which makes it comparatively malleable and ductile. Italso has strength and durability, and will enjoy a long life iflooked after properly. Mild steel is particularly good at beingwrought into decorative shapes of twirls, twists and majesticsweeping scrolls. After all, it is the effect that most peopleseek, and the actual material used is usually not important.

Wrought iron is a material we almost associate with Victoriantimes, a time when beautiful and intricate wrought iron designswere displayed on interior railway station roofs and other largepublic places. Wrought iron suggests quality and taste, wildlyflowing lines that follow a strict pattern of beauty and almosthypnotic satisfaction. Wrought iron garden gates are for those whohave a vivid imagination, and who truly appreciate designs that adda kind of abandoned flourish.

It has to be said, though, that most wrought iron productsavailable today are actually made from mild steel. True wroughtiron is actually a low carbon iron alloy. It also has a degree ofslag inclusion, which gives it its grainy appearance that canresemble wood grain when stressed. It's an extremely malleable andductile form of iron that was commonly used prior to thedevelopment of steel making. Today, wrought iron products retainthe "wrought" part, meaning worked, as it has come to mean delicateand intricately worked scrolls, sweeps and flourishes that can adda degree of class and quality to something as ordinary and mundaneas a garden gate.

Wrought iron garden gates are available in a variety of standardstyles. There are several flat top designs that lack the expectedsweeping designs. They tend to be more angular and functional, andless exciting in design, though of course they do offer a ruggedand durable design that will last through the years. There areseveral arched top designs available in garden gates. These canhave intricate scrolled designs, or they can be more plain withcircular motifs. The bow top design is a variation on the archedtop. It has flat parts on either side with a bow, or arch, in themiddle.