Forde Abbey Custom Gate Entrance 1341AG

The Harvard Gates Legacy Lives On

All of our products are designed by, and built under the supervision of H.J. Nick. Not only that, every item is personally inspected by H.J. Nick, and does not leave our factory until it has been found to meet all world class fine art qualifications.

The famous John Harvard statue, often called the “Statue of Three Lies,” sits surrounded by a campus rich in architectural history. Behind the statue and throughout Harvard Yard stand examples of hand-forged ironwork that have endured generations of New England weather while maintaining their beauty and strength. These gates were not products of machines. They were the work of skilled craftsmen who understood fire, steel, and the timeless principles of design.

Today, that same tradition remains alive.

ArtFactory.com Continues the Lost Art

Under the leadership of master builder H.J. Nick, the blacksmiths of ArtFactory.com continue creating authentic hand-forged wrought iron gates using the same fundamental methods employed by the craftsmen who built America’s earliest universities, estates, and public landmarks.

Unlike mass-produced imported gates made from hollow tubing and cast components, every ArtFactory gate is forged from solid  wrought iron materials by master craftsmen working at American forges. Scrolls are heated and bent by hand. Decorative collars are individually forged. Hardware is custom fabricated. Every gate is engineered to become a permanent architectural feature designed to last for generations.

The Forte Abbey Gate — Inspired by History

Inspired by the magnificent grounds of Fort Abbey in Dorset, England, whose origins date back to the 12th century, the gate captures the elegance of Old World architecture with graceful scrollwork and balanced proportions. The design reflects the same artistic principles found throughout the great estates, monasteries, universities, and manor houses of Europe and early America.

Whether installed as a garden gate, courtyard entrance, estate access gate, or architectural focal point, the design creates an immediate sense of permanence and heritage.

Any Size. Any Design. Built Forever.

One of the greatest advantages of true custom blacksmithing is that no design is limited by standard dimensions.

Individually hand hammered into shape, all of our custom wrought iron driveway and garden gates are unique works of fine art the will never be exactly reproduced.

If Harvard’s original gates were needed today, ArtFactory.com’s craftsmen could reproduce them in the same spirit and materials — whether for a private estate, university campus, corporate headquarters, museum, or historic restoration project.

From a pedestrian garden entrance to monumental estate gates exceeding twenty feet in height, each project is built to order.

ArtFactory can create:

• Historic Harvard-style campus gates
• Ivy League and university entrances
• Estate and manor house gates
• Monastery and abbey-inspired gates
• Custom family crest gates
• Monumental architectural ironwork

Fire, Forge, and Legacy - The result is not simply a gate.