Trail 07

7 Kissing Gate

A photo of the completed Williams House, taken in 1920, shows the kissing gate. It was built to keep stock, grazing on what is now the Village Green, out of the house area.

The idea behind the kissing gate is to allow people to pass through the fence with relative ease, but effectively prevent animals from being able to use the same gate. The hinged gate allows passage into an enclosed space and has to be closed before allowing passage on to the other side.

One probable origin of the name has to do with the design itself, since the gate mechanism touches or “kisses” the sides of the enclosure when in operation.