Garden Arch

by Stable MARK

Explore the garden arch as a practical and decorative feature, from rustic wooden frames to ornate metal designs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Historical wire and iron garden arches with Gothic latticework and hanging plant baskets. — Image: Decorative wrought-iron garden arches with latticework, scroll ornament, and hanging planters, illustrated in the 1899 Barbee Wire and Iron Works catalogue. Source: Barbee Wire and Iron Works catalogue, 1899. Internet Archive

This article looks at historic garden arches through catalog examples from the 1890s to the 1920s, including wooden arches, metal arches, Moon Gates, seating arches, rustic wedding-style arches, and trellised structures for climbing plants.

Table of Contents

Wooden Garden Arch Wooden Garden Arch with Seat Wooden Garden Arch with Gate Heavy Duty Wooden Garden Arch Rustic Arch Metal Arch Metal Garden Arch with Seat Ornamental Metal Arch

Wooden Garden Arch

A wooden garden arch with trellis sides and a simple roof frame, designed to support climbing plants along a garden path.

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Wooden Garden Arch with Seat

Black-and-white catalog photograph of a handmade wooden garden arbor with curved trellis roof, lattice side panels, and built-in seats. — Image: Wooden garden arch with built-in seats, reflecting American garden furniture design of the 1920s.
Source: Catalog of Garden Furniture: Arbors, Pergolas, Gateways, Trellises, Fences, Etc., Hand Made. The Mathews Manufacturing Company, Lakewood, Cleveland, Ohio, 1920, seventh edition. Internet Archive.

A wooden garden arch with lattice sides and built-in benches, designed as both a passageway and a shaded resting place.

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Wooden Garden Arch with Gate

Black-and-white catalog photograph of a wooden Moon Gate with a circular opening, lattice side panels, and a low double gate. — Image: Wooden Moon Gate with lattice panels and a built-in gate, reflecting American garden design of the 1920s.
Source: Catalog of Garden Furniture: Arbors, Pergolas, Gateways, Trellises, Fences, Etc., Hand Made. The Mathews Manufacturing Company, Lakewood, Cleveland, Ohio, 1920, seventh edition. Internet Archive.

A wooden Moon Gate creates a circular garden entrance with trellis sides and a small gate for a more formal passage.

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Heavy Duty Wooden Garden Arch

Catalog illustration of the Wolverton Arch, a large garden arch with lattice framework, climbing greenery, steps, and a low entrance gate. — Image: The Wolverton Arch, a formal garden entrance design with strong latticework and planted side panels, typical of early twentieth-century British garden ornament.
Source: John P. White, Garden Furniture and Ornament. The Pyghtle Works, Bedford, and 134 New Bond St., London W., 1915. Internet Archive.

A substantial oak garden arch is well suited to formal entrances where a durable, architectural frame is needed for climbing plants.

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Rustic Arch

Catalog illustration of a rustic garden arch with plain edges, a rounded top, and crossed trellis panels for climbing plants. — Image: Rustic garden arch with plain edges and latticework, designed as a simple trellised entrance for a garden path.
Source: W. Cooper, Ltd., Illustrated Catalogue of Goods Manufactured and Supplied by W. Cooper, Ltd. Offices and Show Grounds, 751 Old Kent Road, London, S.E.; Steam Works, 747 to 755 Old Kent Road, London, S.E., 1903. Internet Archive.

A rustic arch gives a garden path a natural-looking entrance, provides support for climbing plants, and is especially beloved as a decorative feature for weddings.

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