Fencing for estates- Why it is a necessity

Estates possess a grand and luxurious air about them, this is partially due to the fact that they over shadow traditional homes and because in the ‘back garden’ you will find animals such as deer and sheep.

What is featured in many estates is estate fencing or most commonly known as park fencing which has a purpose of retaining stock and providing decoration for the grounds. This type of fencing mirrors the style of the traditional iron fencing that was used on old estates and parkland.

As well as country estates, estate rails can be found on prestigious parkland, this style of fencing is seen as a traditional and classic style of fence, but don’t let that fool you, this railing is not all about aesthetics. This modern fence is now stronger and more resilient than previous styles so you can feel comfortable that it’s not just all looks and no purpose.

Estate Railings are excellent for marking out boundaries on large areas of parkland, this is incredibly useful if an estate offers a public service as it blends in with the traditional appearance of most estates.

This type of railing is a lot more durable when compared to other styles of fencing such as wire as it’s made of steel and is susceptible to weathering. Estate railings also come with the option of including extras such as gates and a more traditional finish in order to adapt the railings to your specific need when purchasing from Alpharail.

If you purchase estate railings from us we can provide a galvanized finish or a powder coating, having a powder coating gives you the option to have your railings a different colour. This distinctive high performance railing has been tried and tested over many decades so you can rest assured that this product is durable.

At Alpharail we pride ourselves on providing a complete and excellent service, that is why we can supply and deliver your fencing to you, we can also go the extra mile and install your purchase. If you would like to order from us then complete the form at the bottom of our estate rail website page or contact us by calling us on 01623 750 214.

Juliette Balconies

“Romeo Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo”

The Aptly named “Juliette Balconies” is of course famous from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The shallow balcony is designed to provide a safety barrier in front of French windows but at the same time give you a feeling of your very own home balcony.

Juliet Balconies are ideal for:

• Housing developments
• Apartments
• Three storey townhouses
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Student accommodation
• And on the rare occasion... famous romantic novels.

Due to the increasing popularity of Juliette Balconies Alpha Rail has now added four stunning new designs to our collection, These are:

The Washington, the Lincoln, the Jefferson and the Cleveland.

All of which are fully galvanized with a robust black powder coated finish.

Juliette balconies are not only required for safety but can be a thing of beauty, a fantastic contemporary alternative to the usual ranges out there. Juliette balconies are easy to fit and are extremely cost effective.

Check out our great range here:

Finish off your Fence with Finials and Finishes

When creating a fence design, something that is often overlooked is the finial, the name given to the rail and post heads. Adding something extra to the top of the fence has the dual aspect of adding increased security to a boundary railing and adding an extra design edge to the rail.

Railing Finials vary from a single point often a similar shape to an arrowhead but they can also be rounded and have more than one point coming off them. Railing Finials can have posts finials that echo the design of the rail finials or can be something a bit different.

If you have a look at some of our more recent projects like Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, the finials there are more unusual and denote a megaphone to reflect the history of Speakers' corner. In other projects like in the Thompson Veterinary practice the finials tied the handrail to the railing by the use of a different colour; this use of colour makes the finial stand out.

In many of our projects you can see the traditional arrow shaped finial but if you haven't seen a finial you want to use Alpharail can commission a finial of your own design to give the railing a look that is unique. You could consider a bespoke finial, if you have a unique design you can use that is linked to your business, school or park like the Hyde Park megaphone.

Aside from finials, the other possible consideration for finishing your fence is the finish. All Alphrail's are hot dip galvanized using a zinc coating this helps to provide extra protection for the rails from rust.

Alpharail rails tend to be powder coated at the factory to provide a durable weather-proof finish to further protect your rail from corrosion and give an even finish. Like paint, powder coating can be in a range of colours so does not necessarily have to limit your choice alternatively the rail can be painted.

Guardrails improve road safety

Guardrails, also known as crash barriers, are placed on roadways to prevent vehicles from driving off the edge of the road into something dangerous, such as a large object or a ravine, as well as to guide pedestrians to safe crossing points. It is dangerous to crash into a guardrail, but it is even more dangerous to go over the side of the road into whatever the rail was protecting. For this reason, guardrails are normally only placed where crossing the road boundary would be more dangerous than hitting the guardrail.

Guardrails are usually found on the sides of roadways, and sometimes in the central divider, to keep vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffic. There are different kinds of rails used for different purposes. The A-profile barrier, or Armco, is most often found at the edge of the roadway. These barriers are made to bend or break when hit by a vehicle, therefore absorbing some of the impact and deflecting the vehicle back onto the roadway.

Guardrails benefit pedestrians as well as motorists. By keeping uncontrolled vehicles on the roadway, the guardrail is effectively keeping them off the pavement or pedestrian paths. For pedestrians, a guardrail can mean the difference between life and death.

As well as improving safety for pedestrians and motorists, decorative guardrails can also brighten up drab city centres and streets by using colour and creative designs.

It is hard to standardize guardrails for all types of vehicles. Types that are made to work best when impacted by cars can be too low for lorries. Guardrails that work well with lorries may be too tall for motorcycles. Despite this difficulty, guardrail technology has been improving, and injuries due to impact with guardrails have gone down. This is in a large part due to new designs in barriers and especially the ends of the barriers, and to improved motorist awareness.

Optirail is another form of guardrail that is improving road safety. When installing guardrails there is always the possibility that the motorist’s vision will be obscured. This in turn puts pedestrians at risk at crossing points where the driver may not have seen the pedestrian approaching. Optirail is a high visibility guardrail that eliminates this problem by using slanted bars allowing motorists to anticipate when a pedestrian may be crossing the road.

War Memorial Protected and Preserved with New Railings

One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of bespoke architectural metalwork, Alpha Rail, has manufactured and supplied decorative railings to protect a war memorial, situated in Nelson Square in Bolton.

Bolton Council specified vertical bar railings, after veterans and local people complained that the war memorial was being damaged by vandals. In an ironic twist, back in the 1940s, the previous railings that protected it were taken down to aid in the War effort.

The railings have decorative finials, with an attractive arrow head design which was used to complement the style of other original listed railings nearby. The design of the railings included an attractive Poppy motif, as a symbol of remembrance, as well as the red rose of Lancashire. Almost 23 metres of 1.4m high railings were supplied by Alpha Rail, which provide protection to the war memorial and created a secluded area around which war veterans and local people could gather on Remembrance Day.


Main contractor County Landscapes Ltd commissioned Alpha Rail to design-assist and produce the decorative railings, to meet the Council’s Landscape Architect’s exact specification. The railings were then jet black powder coated by the metalwork company to provide a superior and long lasting finish.

Keith Wells from County Landscapes said: “The memorial is the first stage of a larger project, which will see the perimeter of the area also benefiting from decorative railings. We have worked with Alpha Rail before and knew their capabilities in creating a technical railing design that met the client’s requirements perfectly.”

Phil Ball, Sales Director at Alpha Rail, explains: “The project brief for the decorative railings was extremely detailed and gave us the opportunity to demonstrate our design-assist services and the skills of our fabricators. Many local authorities are recognising the benefits of investing in their local parks and landscaped areas in order to protect and preserve them for the enjoyment of local people and the benefit of future generations.”

Alpha Rail, which is based in Nottinghamshire, has extensive experience in creating stunning and technical railings for schools, parks and gardens alike. The Nelson Square War Memorial is the latest in a list of prestigious projects that Alpha Rail has supplied with new railings and gates, with others including the Netteswell memorial, St Leonard’s Gardens Dorchester Gardens, Wollaton Park in Nottingham, Battersea Park in Wandsworth (winner of a Civic Trust Award), Roundhay Park in Leeds and Handsworth Park in Birmingham.

DECORATIVE ARCH PROVIDES FOCAL POINT FOR NEW COMMUNITY GARDEN

Press Release: October 2009
A decorative arch has been given pride of place at the entrance to a regenerated community garden in Stoke-on-Trent, with the arch produced by specialist metalwork manufacturer Alpha Rail.

The new community garden came about as a result of a partnership between Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire Housing Association and the local residents association, Stokevill Residents, in a project that aimed to regenerate a green space in the area.

The decorative arch replaced a high stone boundary wall, which was taken down and lowered in places to enable residents living on both sides to access the community garden. The area now provides a focal point and a gateway to Stoke town, creating a positive first impression for people coming into the area.

Alpha Rail supplied landscape contractors Jack Moody with the decorative arch and vertical bar railings that ran at either side of it. The bespoke metalwork specialist supplied the design to meet the architect’s exact specification, which was for an Art Nouveau style arch, featuring a motif that reflected the style produced at the local Minton Hollins tile factory. The world-renowned manufacturer, which was founded in 1895, was based on the same road in Stoke.

Alpha Rail reproduced the stunning motif as the centrepiece of the archway, which was produced from mild galvanized steel, to help instill a sense of pride into the area, as well as reflect its cultural heritage. Angela Gaffney, from landscape architecture firm Hulme Upright, said: “We felt that an ornate archway produced from metalwork would open up the garden and create an attractive focal point. As the archway lies alongside a road that is a main thoroughfare into Stoke, the archway will be seen by many thousands of passers-by every day. We are really pleased with the end result.”

Phil Ball, Sales Director at Alpha Rail, explains: “The decorative arch is an important feature of the area and has opened up the whole garden to both sides of the community. It required a quite intricate design, which took advantage of our design-assist services to produce a truly stunning result. Metal Railings and gates play an important part in enhancing an area and we were delighted to be involved in a project of this type that means so much to the local community.”

Alpha Rail has over 20 years experience in manufacturing railings and gates and counts many housing associations, private developers and local authorities amongst its customers. The company has gained a reputation in the industry for the quality of its products, which are backed up by exceptional customer service.

For more information on bespoke architectural railings, contact Alpha Rail on 01623 750214 or visit the website www.alpharail.co.uk.