West Ashley gates are full of color and character
I take a lot of photographs. I take so many that they eventually fall into categories. I have collections of tiny houses, sidewalk graffiti, murals, heart-shaped symbols, and favored trees.
When I noticed there was a Facebook group called The Gate Appreciation Society, I browsed through my Charleston and travel albums to see what I had. I knew our Charleston gates could hold their own in any international gate community.
Shortly after I joined, the group exploded in size. It started primarily with pastoral scenes of gates in the United Kingdom but soon there were gates from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the U.S. with 120,060 members. Offshoot groups included Appreciation Societies for Benches, Fence and Boundary, Corrugated Tin, Moss and Bathtubs in Fields.
With growth came the usual squabbles of any large group. There were discussions about the definition of a gate, gates vs doors, and “Cow Gate” after multiple submissions of a colorful cow in a gate image that had been generated by artificial intelligence. The uproar eventually banned Artificial Intelligence gate images. Some images included gateways without the actual gate, others offered rustic gates with no remaining fence or posts.
We learned that any gate image is improved with the inclusion of a cute pup, a horse or a fun sign. Skilled gatemakers have participated and displayed their craft. Retired blacksmith, Terry Steel, generously shared images of the gates he designed and built for Stephen King in Bango, Maine.
For the most part it is a compatible group of members who enjoy the charm of a pastoral scene, a quaint cottage gate or the grandeur and craftsmanship of a formal city or country entrance. Regardless of their design or location, gates do seem to bring a sense of curiosity and wonder, inviting us to imagine crossing the threshold to discover what might lie beyond.
I am now considered a Top Contributor keeping Charleston well represented. I initially tested the water with a few impressive gates on the historic peninsula, including those by Philip Simmons, but the first one I posted that really got attention was one of our own West Ashley gates. It was a sweet green wooden gate on Magnolia Road that got close to 500 “likes” and comments saying, “WOW this is just gorgeous. Like from some lovely movie. Makes me want to see beyond the gate”, “Sublime,” and “A Secret Garden!”
That made me curious about other West Ashley gates. Some of these are from my files and current views may have changed, some from our beautiful plantations, while others reflect the fun character of our neighborhood.
Stay healthy my friends and wave at me as I wander. Send ideas for future columns to: westashleywanderer@gmail.com.
