Domestic Fencing & Railings
HERMEQ supplies estate fencing and metal railings for permanent boundaries on housing developments, schools, parks, car parks and country estates. Every style is made from steel that is galvanised and then powder coated black, two layers of protection that keep the railings resistant to corrosion outdoors with little upkeep. The range covers traditional horizontal estate railings alongside bow top, ball top and vertical bar railings, from low decorative frontages to taller perimeters, and suits settings from landscaped estates and parkland to urban developments. Each style is manufactured in the UK with in-house steel processing and powder coating, and is delivered nationwide.
Estate, bow top, ball top and vertical bar railings
The range covers one horizontal style and three vertical bar styles, and the choice between them turns on how open the boundary should be and who will stand beside it.
Estate railings
Traditional estate railings are the horizontal rail fence long seen around country houses and parkland, and they are now specified widely on new build housing schemes. Choose this metal estate fencing where the boundary has to mark a line without closing in the view, such as a paddock edge, a strip of public open space or an open plan run of front gardens.
Bow top railings
Bow top railings, also known as hoop top railings, finish every bar in a continuous rounded hoop, so the top line has no points or loose ends. They are the usual choice for gardens, driveways, primary school playgrounds, footpaths and council-managed parks, where children and the public are close to the fence. The hoops give a softer profile that sits comfortably on residential streets and in landscaped public space.
Ball top railings
Ball top railings carry a ball on the top of each upright bar, a decorative detail that gives a more formal look than a hoop. Housebuilders use them on new build frontages, and they are common beside pathways, car parks and other public access areas. Choose them where the railing forms part of the street scene and a front garden needs a smarter finish than a plain bar.
Vertical bar railings
Vertical bar railings are the plain upright pattern in the range and its tallest style, made for perimeter control on public and commercial sites. Choose them for car park boundaries, pedestrian walkways and heritage settings, where a higher line is needed to guide foot traffic and keep people out of an area while leaving it in view. Their plain black steel bars match the street furniture of most urban settings.
Horizontal estate railings or vertical bar railings
Horizontal rails suit boundaries that need to stay open to the eye. On parkland, paddocks, country estate perimeters and rural new build schemes, estate railings keep the sight lines across the land and separate pasture or mark ownership without enclosing the space. Vertical infills at a consistent spacing suit gardens, schools, public paths and car parks, because the close, even bars make a boundary that people keep to, and that spacing is the pattern specified for public access areas.
Estate fencing and railings mark and control a boundary. When the brief is security, such as keeping intruders out of a depot, compound or plant yard, the right products are palisade fencing or V mesh fencing, both part of the permanent fencing range.
Estate fencing for new builds, schools and public spaces
Housing developments and new build boundaries
On a housing scheme the railing is part of the street scene, so one style and one colour has to run consistently across plots, frontages and public open space, often over several phases of building. Estate railings suit open plan frontages and the edges of green space, while ball top railings give a more formal front garden line. Behind the building line, the railings pair with garden fencing between rear gardens.
Schools, playgrounds and parks
Around play areas the fence has to be easy to see across, and pupils and park users lean on it, run along it and gather at it. Bow top railings are the usual specification for playgrounds, school grounds and council-managed parkland, and their lower heights keep clear sight lines for staff supervising a playground.
Car parks and pedestrian routes
A car park or footpath boundary needs a continuous line that directs people to crossings and entrances and is clear to drivers. Vertical bar railings give that height along car park perimeters and public walkways, and ball top railings suit lower runs beside paths on residential sites. Set the line back far enough from parking bays for car doors to open, and close vehicle entrances with vehicle access gates.
Railing heights, finishes and fixing
Choosing the height
Heights across the range run from 1.0m to 1.8m. The lower heights in the estate, bow top and ball top styles suit front gardens, play areas and parkland, where the railing marks a line and keeps views open. The full height vertical bar railing suits car park and public access perimeters, where the fence has to stop people crossing it.
Finish and colour
Every style is galvanised and then powder coated black to RAL 9005 as standard. The zinc layer protects the steel from corrosion, and the powder coat adds the finished colour and a second layer of protection against weather. Estate railings can be coated in other colours on request in HERMEQ's own powder coating line.
Posts, bays and Postcrete
Estate railings arrive as pre-made bays with their fixings and corner and end posts, so a run goes together with no welding on site. The bow top, ball top and vertical bar styles come in long bays that need fewer posts on a long run. Posts set in the ground are concreted in, and rapid-setting Postcrete needs no mixing: water goes straight into the hole and the post is firm within minutes, so the gang can keep moving along the line.
Measuring a run before ordering
A run is planned from a survey of the falls along the whole line, since railing bays on a slope are set in steps and the height of each step needs planning before the posts go in. Mark every gate opening, corner and end, count the bays between those fixed points, and confirm the height allowed on any frontage before choosing the style.
Popular Categories
V Mesh Perimeter Fencing
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is estate fencing the same as metal railings?
Estate fencing is one type of metal railing: horizontal rails carried between upright posts, open enough to keep views across the land, and traditionally used around country houses and parkland. Metal railings as a wider term also covers vertical bar styles such as bow top, ball top and plain vertical bar, which fill the bay with evenly spaced uprights. HERMEQ supplies both types in this category.
Do I need planning permission for railings on a front boundary?
Railings on a front boundary next to a road or public footpath can need planning permission above a set height, and that limit is lower than for side and rear boundaries. Listed buildings, conservation areas and new build schemes with planning conditions on boundary treatment can carry further controls. The local planning authority, or the approved landscaping plan for a development, sets what is allowed.
Are gates available to match the railings?
Gates are available as an option with the ball top railings, and posts and Postcrete can be ordered with them for a complete run. For wider entrances that vehicles use, HERMEQ's vehicle access gates range covers the opening.
Can estate fencing be used for horses and livestock?
Estate railings are made for country estate perimeters and pasture separation, which is the traditional use of horizontal rail fencing around parkland and paddocks. For horses and cattle, set every post firmly in concrete and close any gaps at gates, corners and the ends of the run.
What maintenance do galvanised and powder coated railings need?
Galvanised and powder coated steel needs little upkeep beyond an occasional wash to remove dirt and keep the finish even. Inspect the run after any vehicle strike or heavy impact, and treat any scratch that reaches bare steel with touch-up paint to keep moisture away from the metal.