The good old steel farm gates have been a part of farming for decades, and any farmer worth their veldskoene knows that a good farm gate is more than just a method of protecting their livestock and property. Farm gates can tell the story of the farm they are on, and if your farm has a Van Schoor gate, it may even be an original from 1910, making your farm part of agricultural history in South Africa.
When you are choosing farm gates it is important to take the history of the gates into account. Van Schoor has been manufacturing farm gates since 1910 and it is estimated that up to 60 percent of the farm gates in the Western Cape have come from this factory in small town of Philadelphia.
The History Of Van Schoor Farm Gates
In the late 1800’s Cornelius van Schoor and his sons ran a successful cartwright and farrier shop in Stellenbosch. During 1910 Marthinus Johannes van Schoor started his own blacksmith shop in Philadelphia, to offer repairs to wagon wheels, horseshoes and horse shoeing services, and other important blacksmithing services. This was equally as successful as the cartwright and farrier business.
In 1926, this blacksmithing business was taken over by his son Michael Johannes van Schoor who decided that manufacturing farm gates, feeding troughs, and steel products was the direction that he wanted to take for the future of the business. Since these early days, Van Schoor has been manufacturing high quality farm gates for the agricultural community.
Older farm gates can tell you when the farm was built or secured, and can even be used to see where animals were once farmed and kept. This can help to see where the best section of your farm is for livestock, as the farm gates will have been placed there to keep animals protected. An old farm gate can also tell you how people farmed in the days gone by and how well looked after the farmland was.
The Nostalgia Of Farm Gates
There is a certain degree of nostalgia that comes with farm gates. Many photographers gravitate to farm gates for wedding photographs and even landscape photographs. The craftsmanship of farm gates makes them stand out in the landscape, attracting the eye and adding a rustic charm to any photograph.
The farm gates from Van Schoor are available in a variety of different designs, such as the classic W-type which can be seen on numerous farms and the H-type which is a more economical choice.
An older gate, such as those made by Van Schoor, will provide a touch of rustic elegance and old-world charm to the photograph.
The nostalgia of farm gates also extends to the families who live on the farm and who have lived there for generations. They bring back memories of when the fencing and gates were first placed around the land, securing the farm at the start of its journey and can remind people of their childhood days spent exploring the farm and its surroundings.
Having a sense of history helps younger generations feel more invested in a family business such as a farm, so seeing an older farm gate can help to remind them of the history of the land and their family.
If you would like to invest in the long-lasting farm gates from Van Schoor, be sure to contact us today to find out what we can offer you.
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