The range · Made in Bayswater, Melbourne · Delivery Australia wide
Timber Lych Gates — Amaroo & Kenmure, with Wrought Iron Lacework
A lych gate is a roofed gateway — a gate set between posts with a small pitched roof built over it, so the entrance is sheltered and framed rather than simply closed off. The form is English and traditionally a churchyard gateway; today it is used as a front-entry feature on period homes, on memorial gardens and on rural properties, and it is the most emphatic thing you can do to a front fence line. Heritage & Decorative Timber Products makes two designs, Amaroo (AMA) and Kenmure, both custom made in Australia to your opening.
In the shop
The shop, and a quote when you need one.
420 products across 24 ranges are priced in the shop. Anything made to your own sizes is quoted — send us the measurements.
What you get
- Australian made — every product, made in our Bayswater workshop since 1984
- 25 year guarantee — on external LOSP H3 treated pine, above ground
- An answer within one business day — we reply to enquiries and quote requests
- In stock, or made in 1 to 4 weeks — some of the range is in stock; the rest is made to order
- Timber-profile matching — from a photograph, drawing or sample
What is a lych gate made up of?
Three parts, and it is worth thinking about them separately when you plan one. First the posts — heavier than fence posts, because they carry the roof as well as the gate, and set deeper for the same reason. Second the gate itself, single or double, hung between them. Third the roof structure: rafters, a gable to front and back, and the barge and finial detail on it. That top third is what makes it a lych gate rather than a gate, and it is where the period character sits, so the gable detail usually wants to echo the gables on the house.
Which lych gate designs do you make?
Two: the Amaroo (AMA) and the Kenmure. Both are made to order, not supplied at a stock size, and both are priced on request. Because they are made to your opening, the design decides the pattern of the gate and the shape of the roof, and your measurements decide everything else.
What timber are lych gates made from?
LOSP H3 treated pine, rated for outdoor use above ground — the same treated pine we use for verandah posts and gates, which matters more on a lych gate than on most things because the posts stand in the weather at ground level and the roof takes everything from above. As external LOSP H3 treated pine used above ground, the timber in our lych gates carries our 25 year guarantee. Prime and paint all faces, including the tops and cut ends, before anything is fixed.
What wrought iron lacework can be added?
Three enhancements, all optional and all in wrought iron: gate tops for single or double gates, ornate inserts including a peep hole, and decorative rosettes. They can be added to a lych gate or to a standard gate, and they are the quickest way to add the fine, dark line that a Victorian frontage usually wants against the timber.
The wrought iron is not covered by our timber guarantee. Our 25 year guarantee is a guarantee on external LOSP H3 treated pine used above ground. Iron is a different material with different maintenance — it wants a protective coating kept up, and it is an addition to the gate rather than part of the guaranteed timber.
What do you need to quote a lych gate?
A lych gate includes a roofed structure as well as the entrance. The gate opening measuring guide helps describe the opening and swing; include the additional roof and post measurements required below for the complete structure.
Four things. The width of the opening at the top and again at the bottom, because old fence lines rarely give the same figure twice. The height available — total height to the ridge of the roof, allowing for anything overhead. Whether it is a single or a double gate. And photographs of the fence line it has to join, taken square on, plus a photograph of the house gable if you want the roof detail to match it.
Ask about our timber-profile matching service. Australian made, delivered to your home or site anywhere in Australia. Call 03 9720 1996 for a quote.
Related pages
The range
Product photographs and profile drawings.
5 scale profiles. Select any one to see it larger.
Scale profiles
In place
On real houses, in Australia.
White timber fence with shaped balusters above a picket base 
White timber boundary fence with a spindle top rail and matching entry gates 
Pair of braced timber entry gates with a shaped baluster top rail
Talk to the workshop
Tell us the code and the size.
- Workshop852 Mountain Highway, Bayswater VIC 3153
- DeliveryAustralia wide
Product and ordering questions
What is a lych gate made up of?
Three parts. First the posts, which carry the roof as well as the gate. Second the gate itself, single or double, hung between them. Third the roof structure: rafters, a gable to front and back, and the barge and finial detail on it. That top third is what makes it a lych gate rather than a gate.
What do you need to quote a lych gate?
The width of the opening at the top and again at the bottom; the total height available to the ridge of the roof; whether it is a single or a double gate; and photographs of the fence line taken square on. Add a photograph of the house gable if you want the roof detail to match it.