Lychgate

Lychgates consist of a roofed porch-like structure over a gate, often built of wood. They usually consist of four or six upright wooden posts in a rectangular shape. On top of this are a number of beams to hold a pitched roof covered in thatch or wooden or clay tiles. They can have decorative carvings and in later times were erected as memorials. Under the roof there is a gate, usually with two panels that meet in the middle, and the gate is offset away from the Church so that the bier or coffin rests in the centre of the structure, under cover, and inside the Churchyard, in hallowed ground. They sometimes have recessed seats on either side of the gate itself, for the use of pall-bearers or…