Stiles have been a part of British country life for a very long time, in fact the word "stile" has Anglo Saxon origins. I understand that stiles are only found in Britain, but do correct me should I be wrong. Stiles allow safe human passage through the countryside whilst protecting livestock from straying. Stiles are also used to walk through fields of crops, but only if they have a designated footpath going across.
A writer in 1564 described the difficulty of getting his dog over one and, in the 19th century, rural poet John Clare remembered their value as a momentary place of reflection:
"He lolls upon each resting stile
To see the fields so sweetly smile
To see the wheat grown green and long."
A Lake District ladder stile
Stiles have evolved in many formats over the centuries, some of which could even be classed as minor triumphs of early Victorian engineering. The remaining stiles shown below are local to us on our high Cotswold escarpment which we ourselves use on a regular basis. 
This one is also close to home - a four minute walk in the opposite direction. Once over the cattle can be seen safely grazing.
This is an interesting spring loaded stile. 
With a gentle push it springs open and then automatically shuts once the walker has past through.
This stile is a two minute walk from home - it requires a certain amount of agility to climb over. Fortunately both of us can still manage it.
This one is also close to home - a four minute walk in the opposite direction. Once over the cattle can be seen safely grazing.
This is a Victorian stile known as a "kissing gate".
The name "kissing gate" is thought to come from the fact that the gate "kisses" (touches) each side of the enclosure, hence the name, and it doesn't need a latch to be secured. It allows people to pass through while effectively preventing livestock from doing so.
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I've come across some interesting ones on some church walls
ReplyDeleteYes, I have seen them in the surrounding church walls too - they are often in a V shape and made using local stone.
DeleteI encournterd a couple of stiles in the British countryside when I was there. I thought they were quite ingenious. I can confirm that there are no stiles in Canada to the best of my knowledge. The closest thing I've seen perhaps is the "Texas gates" on some roadways (rollers countersunk across the width of the roadway) which cars can easily cross but cattle will not because the rollers move under their feet.
ReplyDeleteWe actually have something similar at the end of our road which we call a 'cattle grid' to prevent the horses and cows on the surrounding Common land coming down our road. Our grids have a deep trench topped with oval shaped iron bars at the top. The grids are great for cars but difficult for humans, so we have small wood latch gates at either side that are spring loaded so that walkers, pushchairs and bicycles etc can get down the road.
DeleteWonderful images!!
ReplyDeleteLike they came out of a movie!!
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DeleteThose are fascinating example of stiles! That people are "permitted" to just walk across another's property is really rare! Mostly doesn't happen at all over here in the US. Beautiful scenery too! Thank you as always for sharing your beautiful photography of your environs. There is nowhere on Earth quite like England!
ReplyDeleteI suppose the big difference is that systems and rules etc have been established here for many centuries.
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