The Main Gates, Buckingham Palace
The history of Buckingham Palace and its gates can be traced back to 1608 and a folly of King James VI and I, the first monarch to rule over a somewhat united Great Britain. Envious of France’s prowess as a producer of the luxurious silk that dominated 17th-century fashion and keen to develop a rival operation in London.
In 1905 the Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts were received their most important commission to date. Designing the wrought iron gates to surround Buckingham Palace, the monarch’s London home since 1837. The Bromsgrove Guild was founded by Walter Gilbert in 1898. Based in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove they were strongly rooted in the Arts and Crafts movement; a desire to counteract the ‘damaging’ effects of industrial production and instead focus on domestic, often bespoke, design. They had become well-known for wrought iron pieces (other famous works include Liverpool’s Liver Birds c.1910) and the gates are covered in regal decoration.
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