Pole gateposts are a relatively common feature within a few areas of the Yorkshire Dales.
Their type and overall distribution is dependent partly upon the type of stone that was locally available to create gateposts from, and perhaps also on local tradition.
A pole gatepost withpole in place
Sandstone and millstone grit are much easier to work than limestone, and the majority of pole gateposts are likely to be made from these, although there may be a few examples made from limestone.
As the name and pictures suggest, pole gateposts (also called pole gatestoops) did not house gates in the form that we are used to seeing them. They usually held poles that (dependent on the type of pole gatepost) were sometimes bent, sometimes slid into place. There appears to be some variation in types of pole gateposts, with some appearing with ‘L’ shaped recesses on one or both posts. Some may not be cut into a single stone post, but appear as recesses built into a wall head. Much rarer are gateposts with a groove incised, which may have had a hurdle-like gate slid into them.
Pole gatepost without polesThe majority of pole gateposts are reused as modern gateposts, often with later gate hangers added (usually set in small lead-filled sockets). Many gateways will have been widened one or more times since the mid-twentieth century to enable access for increasingly large farm vehicles. Consequently, pole gateposts won’t always be in their original location. Sometimes gateposts have been discarded in favour of modern ones, and the previous posts may lie adjacent to the modern wider entrance. Increasingly the value of these features as ornamental stonework is being recognised, and some gateposts are being sold as ‘architectural antiques’.
