Forton Kissing Gate

The Location

The southern end of Right of Way No.19, a footpath in Forton, near Longparish.

The Problem

Mothers with buggies wanted to avoid having to walk along the road when getting to and from school. They requested a kissing gate be upgraded so that they could get their buggies through it. The upgrade would also need to be large enough to permit wheelchair access.

The Solution

The original gate had to be dismantled, the hedge cut back, and the larger gate installed. A fair amount of labouring was involved including the digging of 4 holes, two feet deep in stony ground, for the new fence poles.

The Team

The work was carried out by Jeremy Barber (Chairman of the Longparish Parish Council), Paul Knipe (a member of the Longparish Parish Council Footpaths Committee), John Scott (a Forton resident), Justin Harvey (from Hampshire County Council), Ted Diggins and Phil Wood (from the Andover Ramblers), and Judy and Jane Smythson, who are footpath users from outside the village. Food was kindly provided by Forton mothers Chloe Biddlecombe, Zoë Hodgkins and Jemma Greenwood. Click here to view all the photographs taken on the day.

An exhausted Phil being pushed through the finished gate by Ted.

Ramblers' Association Andover Group