Talk:Tapsel gate

A fact from Tapsel gate appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 25 February 2009, and was viewed approximately 14,000 times (disclaimer) (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that the Church of the Transfiguration, Pyecombe, England, has a rare Tapsel gate (pictured), which has a central pivot and was designed to keep cattle out and allow coffins through easily?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2009/February.

Wikipedia

Cool, but... I don't get it. How does this kind of gate guard against cattle better than other gate designs? EdStauff (talk) 20:33, 24 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The theory is that even when fully open, it is too narrow to allow them through because there will be two equally wide (or narrow!) gaps separated by the gate. For example, if the opening in the wall was 6 feet wide, a normal (side-hinged) gate that was fully open would leave a gap of 6 feet. A tapsel gate, placed on a pivot 3 feet from each gatepost, would allow an opening of no more than 3 feet on either side even when fully open. If it was half-open, like in the top picture, the gap would be say 4½ feet on the outisde but only 1½ feet on the side, etc. Hope that helps! Hassocks5489 (tickets please!) 20:46, 24 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So why not just make the gate narrower? How wide is a cow anyway? dbw (talk) 21:43, 24 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You need a reasonably wide opening to allow a coffin through: pallbearers on each side plus the width of the coffin. With one of these gates, when it's fully open, the pallbearers can walk on each side and carry the coffin above the gate; but there is no way for cows to get through because they can't fit through on either side. Not sure exactly how wide a cow is, admittedly... Hassocks5489 (tickets please!) 21:49, 24 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't get it either, perhaps some of this information should make it into the article? 99.236.164.89 (talk) 21:21, 24 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Good point; I've added a bit in the Design paragraph. I want to be careful to avoid "original research", though, so need to reflect what the available sources say. Hassocks5489 (tickets please!) 21:45, 24 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The available photographs do not seem to suggest that cows would be particularly hindered, while on the other hand, the width of a coffin plus two pallbarers on either side would seem to be problematic. Indeed, the easiest way to get a coffin through the gates shown in the photos might be to strap it to the back of a cow then lead it through. :) 141.151.2.144 (talk) 02:02, 25 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ages[edit]

The claims about "original" gates probably need reassessing, as they come from a 1950 source and the Kingston-near-Lewes gate at least has since been replaced. There is presumably an "original axe" question as well.

As there is a small and finite number of gates, would a table be a better presentation? Wheeltapper (talk) 19:09, 24 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

These gates are unique to Sussex. Sussex being so large that it now encompasses areas which some, misguided, people believe are in other English counties. In what used to be Shropshire there is a tapsel gate at both Badger and Newcastle churches. Doubtless there are others. AnnaComnemna (talk) 13:35, 29 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]