Beautiful Ornamental Iron Gates of Charleston

                                                                                            

       The Beauty 
of the Iron Gates  of Charleston

Take a stroll through the streets of Charleston  -  catch a glimpse....

                                            Gates of  St. Michaels  Episcapal Church 
Decorative ironwork can be seen all around the city, in gates, balconies, railings, panels and finials. The oldest of these architectural treasures date back before the Revolutionary War. Balconies were forged by blacksmith as early as 1739 .

Sword Gate House

Sword Gate House  on Legare Street in Charleston.   Known for its elaborate gate. This home was built before 1810. The sword gate incorporates a sword and spear in the design.  This house was the home of an elite girls school in the 1820's.

The combination of wood and iron

Downtown  Charleston

St. Michaels Episcopal Church   Located on Broad Street and Meeting Street was  built in the 1750's.   President George Washington worshiped at this church on the afternoon of Sunday  May 8, 1791.  General Robert E. Lee worshiped on the same pew, No. 43, known as "The Governor's Pew" some 70 years later. 

   Lovely porches shaded by towering oak trees and  surrounded by beautiful iron fences.

 Block after block throughout the Charleston peninsula you have this feeling that you are walking the streets of history.  The beauty of moss-covered live oaks, horse drawn carriages, antebellum verandas, pre-Revolutionary courtyards, colonial churches and streets of cobblestone.  As you stroll down the streets of Charleston, you hope to catch a glimpse through one of these old iron gates to the secluded world beyond the busy streets.

    Intimate courtyard on Meeting Street, relax, sip a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea.

The beauty of the scroll work

Take a glimpse of this intimate courtyard beyond the brick wall of privacy.

Chevaux-de-Frise  This is an example of an early security devise in Charleston. 

This fence projects wicked looking iron spikes to help

keep 

unwanted folks off your property.

Philip Simmons

photo by Claire Y. Greene

(1912 - 2009)

Philip Simmons  -  Blacksmith  Recognized  in All of America

Born on Daniel Island near Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

When he was 8 years old his grandparents sent him, by ferry, to Charleston to live to his mother.  Philip became intrigued and fascinated with ironwork as he walked to school.  He began visiting blacksmiths, pipe-fitters and other craftsmen in the area.

Philip Simmons became the most celebrated of Charleston iron workers of the 20Th Century.  He moved into the field of ornamental iron in 1938.  More than 500 decorative pieces of wrought iron gates, fences, balconies, and window grills in Charleston were decorated by Mr. Simmons's hands.

In 1987 the National Endowment for the Arts awarded him its National Heritage Fellowship - the highest honor the United States can bestow on a traditional artist.  Pieces of Mr. Simmons's work are in many museums around the country including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.       Mr. Philip Simmons  A True Charlestonian Legend

The Hibernian Hall  

          Iron  and columns provide limited entrance into a very private club for the Irish 

Secluded courtyards within the historic peninsula

Oaks draped in moss silhouette the walkway to this church 

Scrolls and circles adorn this open garden gate

 Rainbow Row    18 Century Georgian townhouses

Rainbow Row Balcony

    Rainbow Row   Iron gate leading to a private courtyard directly off the sidewalk on Meeting Street.

    Gates with  forged iron scroll motif, 

fleur-de-lis, leaf and flower patterns and circles are typical to Charleston.

Nicki Harris Williams is an award winning water colorist. She had an interest in the wrought-iron gates of the College of Charleston and produced a series of pen-and-ink drawings. 

Calhoun Street Gate 

Green Street Gate

Esther Pearlstine Gate    

                    Porters Lodge Gate

 Tower Gate          







  St. Philip Street Gate


Charleston has been shaped by its history.  It is a city that has had periods of great wealth and prosperity followed by generations of great poverty. The "Holy City" has endured two major wars, the occupation of invading armies, pirates and Indians, catastrophic fires  devastating entire blocks of the city in a day, numerous hurricanes and the largest earthquake ever to rock the east coast of the United States.
                                                      
                          Queen Street, a shady alley  by Joan Perry

 

                                                                

                                                                
                      Charleston, with its quaint streets and beautiful iron gates, 
                               evoke a gracious lifestyle and rich history 
                                            for all those who enter.
                                            

                                                            
                                  my "Belles Choses"       my  Beautiful Things