GB2319791A - Fence assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A fence assembly (Figures 1, 5 and 7) comprises two spaced uprights (10) with two pairs of respective aligned openings (17) therein to receive opposite ends of respective upper and lower support members (13, 14) which are spaced apart vertically and lie parallel. A number of panels (15) are engaged between the support members to form a fence/barrier, each panel having its respective upper and lower ends received in respective continuous slots (22, 23) in the upper and lower support members. Spacing means (16) between adjacent panels and between each end panel and adjacent upright hold the spaced panels in position. Also disclosed is a fence assembly in the form of a gate, and an assembly method for the fence.

Description

FENCE ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a fence assembly which is relatively inexpensive to produce and relatively easy to assemble. It is particularly, but not exclusively, intended for use at a children's outdoor nursery area or at a children's playground. The invention also relates to a method of assembling such a fence, and to a kit of parts for such assembly. As used herein, the term 'fence' includes a barrier and also a gate.

According to the invention a fence assembly comprises two spaced apart uprights, spaced apart upper and lower elongated support members, each extending from one upright to the other, or substantially from one upright to the other, the support members defining respective facing openings therein, and at least one fencing/barrier member extending between the upper and lower support members, with its respective upper and lower sides/ends received in or extending through said facing openings respectively.

A gate assembly of the invention comprises two spaced apart uprights, spaced apart upper and lower elongated support members defining respective facing openings therein, at least one fencing/barrier member extending between the upper and lower support members, with its upper and lower sides/ends received in or extending through said facing openings respectively, the support members and fencing/barrier member forming, on assembly, a gate structure which is received between the uprights with its support members extending substantially from one upright to the other, and which at one end has its upper and lower support members pivotally mounted to an adjacent one of the uprights.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of an upright of a fence assembly of the invention, with two upper support members and a panel shown in phantom, Figure 2 is a developed plan view of the slot shown in the upright of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view, to a reduced scale, of a fence assembly formed of some of the components shown in Figure 1, but also including a lower support member and spacing members, Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail of the interior of the part of the assembly ringed in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a schematic sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, Figure 6 is an enlarged, horizontal section through a panel of the type shown in Figure 1, Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a lower support member with a spacing member secured therein, Figure 8 shows a partly assembled fence of the same form as that of Figure 3, but of shorter length, and Figures 9 and 10 respectively show upper and lower pivoting means for a gate of the invention.

The embodiment of a fence assembly of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 7 is formed of a number of uprights 10, which would normally be secured in a vertical orientation to a flat surface 11 of, for example, the ground 12. The uprights would be spaced apart with respective upper and lower supporting members 13, 14 extending between a pair of such uprights, so as, in effect, to connect the uprights together. As will be described, each supporting member is preferably an elongated generally channel-like extrusion or rolled section, and its respective opposite ends are slidingly received, as will be described, in correspondingly shaped slots or other openings in the uprights. Between the supporting members, in order to form the barrier part of the fence, are disposed a multiplicity of panels or panel-like members 15 which, in the example illustrated, are in the form of rectangular boards which have their respective upper and lower ends/narrower sides, engaged with the upper and lower supporting members 13, 14 respectively as will be described, so that each assembled board lies vertical, and parallel to each upright.

In the embodiment to be described, the upper and lower supporting members are parallel, but it will be appreciated that in another embodiment, this may not be the case so that it would be possible for the upper and lower supporting members to diverge or converge, with appropriately differing sizes of boards being secured therebetween to provide an increasing or decreasing height of fencing. Finally, describing the fence assembly generally, it can be seen best from Figures 3 and 7 that at the opposite sides of each panel where it is engaged with one of the supporting members, there is provided a spacing member 16 which defines the spacing apart of the panels and also serves to secure them in position at said spacing, as again will be described hereinafter. The various components of the fence assembly will now be described in detail.

In the embodiment illustrated, each upright 10 is in the form of a tubular post which can be of circular-section as shown, or alternatively of any other convenient sectional form, such as square or rectangular. Adjacent the upper end of the post, there is provided a through slot 1 7 which, as shown in Figure 2, is of a shape generally complementary to the exterior shape of the upper supporting member 13, namely normally square or rectangular, but with a central tab 1 7a on the lower horizontal edge of the upper slot. Diametrically aligned with the slot 17, at the opposite side of the post, and, in this embodiment, at the same height as the slot 1 7 described, is a further identical slot (not shown). Correspondingly adjacent the bottom of the upright are a further pair of through slots (not shown) in diametral alignment, these each being of a shape to match the exterior cross-section of the lower supporting member 14, with a central tab, identical to tab 1 7a, on the upper horizontal edge of each lower slot. Normally since the cross-sections of the upper and lower supporting members respectively are identical, the upper slots in the upright will be of exactly the same form and arrangement as the lower slots therein, but relatively inverted to take account of the tabs.

As will become clear hereinafter, it is possible for an upright merely to have one slot adjacent its upper end and one slot adjacent its lower end, for example where the upright is at an end of a fence so that the upper and lower supporting members extend from only one side thereof.

Alternatively it would also be possible for an upright to have more than two slots at its upper and lower ends where, or example, the upright acts as a central member from which more than two upper and lower supporting members radiate. A circular cross-section is particularly convenient in that a multiplicity of such slots can be provided around the external periphery in a stepless manner. With a square or other multi-sided section, the arrangement is not stepless in the same manner, in that, for example, with a square section it would be difficult to provide a slot which allowed a member to extend from any one of the four faces other than at 900. As will be appreciated hereinafter, the cross-sectional size (diameter) of the upright can be at its smallest where only a single slot is provided top and bottom, and at its largest where many slots are provided around the upright, again both top and bottom.

Instead of the 'upright' being a post or the like, possibly a gate post, it could instead be a structure, such as a wall, having openings therein equivalent to the upper and lower slots of the post. Accordingly 'upright' is used herein to include in its scope fixed or movable structures, as well as posts, poles, tubes and the like. A run of the fence assembly can thus be between two spaced apart upright structures, such as walls.

A post 10 can be secured to the ground 12 by any suitable manner, for example by concreting it in position or alternatively providing some form of releasable fitting, by bolting it to the ground. As will also hereinafter be described, the supporting members, panels and spacing members could be assembled or fitted as an assembly between a pair of prepositioned posts. Alternatively the assembly could include engaging the supporting members and panels with the posts, and then securing the posts in position. It will be appreciated that the posts can be made of any suitable material, for example steel, aluminium or other suitable metal, or alternatively of plastics material. Particularly where the fence assembly is to be used in a child's play area the posts can be coloured.

Each support member 13, 14is in the form of an elongated section, this being preferably of standard rolled steel section such as used in electrical trunking applications. However alternatively the section could be an extrusion in metal or plastics. As shown best in Figures 1 and 7, the cross-section is of generally lipped channel form, with the arcuate, convex lips 18, 19 having respective inturned parts 20, 21, the parts defining therebetween a continuous slot identified as 22 (Figure 1) for the upper supporting member 13 of Figure 1 and as 23 for the lower supporting member 14 shown in Figure 7, where the slot is shown filled by a spacing member 16 to be described hereinafter. Each supporting member can easily be cut to the length required and, for example, the lengths of the supporting members between a pair of spaced uprights would normally be such as to accommodate, for example, sixteen of the spaced panels 15 shown in Figure 2. This is equivalent to a distance between upright centres of 210 cm.

Each panel 15 (Figure 6) is, for example, in the form of a relatively thin, rectangular board or slat of generally rectangular cross-section along its length, but with rounded ends. The spacing apart of the upper and lower supporting members in relation to the height of each panel or board is such that, for each panel its respective opposite, upper and lower ends are received through the upper and lower slots 22, 23 respectively, as best shown in Figure 3. The thickness of each panel is generally controlled so that whilst it is not necessarily a tight interference fit with the supporting members at its respective upper and lower ends, it is sufficiently tightly received between the parts 20, 21 of each channel section so that there is little or no rattling in a direction laterally of the panels. Whilst the boards can be conventional wooden planks or the like, they could alternatively be of metal, and more preferably in the form of plastics material extrusions. A steel reinforcing bar 1 5a can be received in a central compartment of the panel to increase panel stiffness and prevent panels being kicked out, in use, by vandalism.

As shown best in Figures 3 and 5, there is a spacing member 16 arranged between adjacent boards. As shown in Figure 7, the spacing member, which is preferably a plastics material extrusion, is of generally U-shape with the ends of its respective arms 24, 25 being in the form of barbs 26, 27 respectively. The flexibility of the spacing member enables it to be driven into either of the slots 22 or 23 with its arms initially deflecting inwards until the barbs are clear of the parts 20, 21, whereupon the arms spring outwardly so as to engage the barbs with the respective ends of the parts 20, 21 as shown in Figure 7 thereby tightly holding the spacing member to the supporting member against release in the opposite direction to that of insertion. However as will be explained, it may be possible for such a spacing member to be slid longitudinally along a supporting member whilst still engaged therewith.

Instead of being an extrusion, a spacing member could be an injection moulding. Moreover, the members could be spring steel clips, or of aluminium or hard rubber.

As mentioned with the posts, the boards, and/or the supporting members can be painted or manufactured in various colours as required to provide an attractive appearance to the completed fence assembly. Instead of being vertical, the boards could be shaped so that with their respective upper and lower ends received in the slots 22, 23, they are at an angle between the members 13, 14.

Although, as will be described, a fence assembly of the invention can be constructed, in use, in various ways, there will now be described the preferred method of assembly. As mentioned hereinbefore, a preferred fence run is one with the respective centres of the uprights spaced apart by 210 cm, with there being sixteen panels between the uprights.

In use, a pair of upright posts 10 are installed in position by concreting them into the ground 12, as shown in Figure 3, so that the uprights are vertical and spaced apart by the required distance. The height of each post from the ground is also carefully adjusted to a required value. It is assumed that the posts are secured in place with the upper and lower slots in one post being aligned and thus facing the corresponding upper and lower slots in the other post.

The upper and lower support members are then fitted at one of their respective ends into the upper and lower slots respectively in one of the uprights, the upper and lower supporting members then being aligned with the other post and slid back outwardly a little way from the post in which they are assembled so that their opposite ends respectively can be engaged in the respective upper and lower slots in the other post, so that the position shown for the support members is reached in the manner shown in Figure 3 where the end of each support member protrudes into its associated post by approximately 18 mm. The upper supporting member has respective holes in its opposite ends, these being in the uppermost or base part of the support member section, as shown in Figure 4 for one end of the support member 13. With the support member 13 correctly engaged with both of the uprights 10, these two holes should be visible looking down into the uprights from above. The accessibility of these holes allows respective roll pins 28 (Figure 4) to be fitted into the respective holes at the end of the support member 13, with the roll pin extending upwardly out of the hole so as securely to fix the upper support member in place. Preferably the roll pins can be spring dowel pins, with there being an interference fit between each pin and its associated hole at the end of the support member. The purpose of these pins is twofold. Firstly it prevents the support member from disengaging from the uprights during assembly, and secondly it assists in resisting deliberate deflections due to vandalism at the top of the posts, which might otherwise cause the support members to disengage from the uprights. Generally the roll pins 28 would be fitted in place and plastic caps 29 (Figure 1) then fitted on the respective tops of the uprights once the concrete has dried so as securely to secure the uprights 10 in place.

To install the panels 15, it may firstly be necessary to take note of any specified colour scheme required along the fence assembly, and accordingly it may be necessary to sort the panels into a specific order of installation. Firstly each of the panels is fitted with a bar 1 5a as shown in Figure 6. One end of a panel is then fitted into the slot 23 in the lower support member 14, for example by inclining the panel out of the plane containing the upper and lower support members. Thereafter the panel is swung back towards the plane containing the support members 13, 14 and at the same time angled in that plane so that with its upper end now underneath the slot 22 the panel can be restored to the vertical with its upper end being received within the slot 22. This panel, which is now thus engaged between the upper and lower support members, is slid to one end of the assembly of uprights and support members so that it lies adjacent one of the uprights. The remaining panels are then similarly installed until panel assembly is complete. As described above, it is intended that a spacing member is fitted between adjacent panels, and it will thus be appreciated that, with the method of fitting the panels as described, initially without spacers, sufficient space is created between the uprights to allow for all the panels to be fitted in position merely by angling them between the upper and lower support members and then restoring them to the vertical.

For a standard length of fence assembly of 210 cm, it is possible to vary the number of panels, but with each variation the width of the spacers must accordingly be increased so that, for example, each spacer would be of 2.5 cm in length with 16 panels, but 5.6 cm in length with 13 panels and 9.3 cm in length with 10 panels. As well as having to select the standard length spacer required, it is likely that because of manufacturing and installation tolerances the respective spacers next to the uprights may need to be cut to length from a free length of spacer extrusion supplied.

Accordingly to fit the spacers, starting from one end, a panel is slid toward an upright leaving a gap approximately equal to a standard spacer length. Thereafter with this end panel as a reference, the remaining panels are slid so as to be spaced apart with respective spacers installed between such panels into the upper and lower support members. It is important that the spacers are properly fitted into the support members, as shown for the spacer 16 in Figure 7. Finally the gaps between the respective end slats and associated uprights are assessed, these desirably being approximately equal, and appropriate end spacers are then cut to size, if necessary, and fitted in place to complete the fence assembly. As mentioned, each of the slots 17 at the upper and lower ends of each upright are provided with a tab 1 7a, the purpose of these tabs being to prevent an end spacer from drifting into the interior of an upright.

If it is required to provide a fence assembly which is of a length less than the standard length of 210 cm, a similar method to that described can still be employed. However according to the spacing between the uprights, it may be necessary to assess the number of panels and spacers required to fill the space between the uprights, desirably still maintaining standard spacer length as much as possible.

Where the distance between the uprights is quite small, it may be found that even utilising the space normally occupied by the spacing members, with all the panels slid together, there is insufficient room normally to assembly the final panel even by inclining it to the vertical, as previously described. In this instance it may be necessary, as shown in Figure 8, to mitre the opposite ends 30, 31 of at least the final panel 32, at the same time possibly shortening the length of the re-enforcing bar 1 spa. The shorter the fence assembly, the more likely it is that more than the single end panel may need to be mitred. It is of course essential that the mitring does not remove too much material from said ends, in case the panel cannot be retained between the upper and lower support members. As will be described, the invention also has applicability to a fence assembly in the form of a gate, and since a gate will normally be much shorter than a standard fence assembly as described, it is likely that the gate would be formed in the manner described in relation to Figure 8 with at least one end panel being mitred.

Although less desirable, two other possible forms of assembly will be mentioned. The first alternative is to engage the upper and lower supporting members at one of their respective ends just into the slots in one of the posts with the slots facing, and then, holding the members parallel, to slide each panel between the supporting members from the respective ends of said members remote from the post, with the upper and lower ends of each panel engaging in the slots 22, 23. During such assembly the panels are arranged approximately at their required spacing with the spacing member 16 of appropriate length being secured, for example, by hammering, in position between each pair of panels.

However the upper and lower spacing members adjacent the upright would not be present at this time, although corresponding upper and lower spacing members could be provided at the other end of the supporting members at the side of the last panel which, in use, will be adjacent the other post.

The assembly of supporting members, panels and spacing members can then be pushed somewhat further into the post, for example until the end panel engages or is in juxtaposition with the upright referred to. This 'shortens' the supporting member sufficiently for them to be brought into alignment with the upper and lower slots in the other post, so that when the upper and lower supporting members are now slid a little way back out of the post referred to, by relative sliding thereof through their associated upper and lower slots, the respective opposite ends of the upper and lower supporting members will be received through the corresponding upper and lower slots of the other post, whilst the ends of the upper and lower supporting members will remain assembled in the upright referred to. In this way the assembly of supporting members and panels is now fixed between the two previously fixed uprights. It is now possible for the final upper and lower spacing members to be secured in position between the end panel and the post to which it is adjacent, thereby locking this end panel against sliding movement to the left, if the left hand post is the one chosen for initial assembly described above.

Since at the other end of the assembly the right hand end panel has already been fixed in position by the previous insertion of the respective upper and lower spacing members, a rigid fence assembly structure is now provided with no mechanical fixings being required. However if necessary roll pins 28 could again be inserted as with the first assembly method described hereinabove. Additionally there is minimum manufacturing involvement and assembly is carried out without any tools. This also applies to the first method of assembly referred to.

In a second alternative form of assembly, it would be possible for the panels, spacing members and supporting members to be assembled together in situ, and the whole assembly then presented up to one of the posts, with the inward sliding into said post being as described above to enable the supporting members then to be moved into alignment with the other post and for the supporting members then to be slid somewhat back out of said one post so as again to lock the members and panels between the two fixed posts. Again one pair of upper and lower spacing members at an end panel would finally need to be secured. This method is somewhat more difficult to carry out, in the at least two persons would probably be required in order to hold together the assembly of supporting members, panels and spacing members as it is presented up to a post for initial engagement.

It will be appreciated that the fence assembly described is particularly suitable for children's play areas and the like in that there are no sharp edges to provide cuts, nor holes in which children's fingers may be trapped.

It will be noted that where it is possible to assemble the posts together with the supporting members, panels and spacing members in situ, i.e.

when the posts are not initially fixed in place, it will be possible to carry out the same form of assembly as described, but merely with the other post being slid into engagement with the supporting members, by way of these entering the slots in the other post when all the panels and spacing members have been arranged in position. Accordingly here the extreme left hand spacing members shown in Figure 3 could be initially assembled rather than delaying their securement until the supporting members are engaged between the two spaced uprights.

If repair or replacement of a panel of an assembled fence is required, it would clearly be possible to adopt one of three procedures, effectively corresponding to the reverse of the methods of assembly referred to.

Firstly, corresponding to the first assembly method described hereinbefore, repair is carried out by removing an appropriate number of spacing members in order to allow for the required fencing/barrier member to be removed by tipping it at an angle to the supporting members, the replacement panel also then being tipped to lie between the supporting members, and in the plane thereof, the replacement panel then being moved to a vertical orientation and appropriately slid to position longitudinally so that fresh spacing members can then be fitted in position to restore the fence assembly to its original state.

Secondly if the panel to be replaced was fairly near one of the posts, then it would clearly be possible to remove the upper and lower endmost spacing members by drilling or chiselling them out, and then to move the supporting members slidingly further into the adjacent post so as to enable the other end of the assembled structure to be released from said other post. It would then be possible to remove panels, by working inwards from said other post, by sliding the spacing members and panels out from between the supporting members until the panel to be repaired was reached, the assembly process then being repeated to reassemble the fence assembly.

Alternatively, particularly where the panel to be repaired is at or towards the centre of the fence assembly, the same initial procedure would be adopted in removing the endmost spacing members, but both ends of the supporting members and panel assembly would now be released from the posts so that the upper or lower supporting member could then be removed from the panels to allow the particular panels or panels in question to be removed also from the lower supporting member and thereafter replaced, with reassembly being as described above. From the above reference to removal of spacing members by the use of a drill or by a chisel, it will be appreciated that this is a relatively difficult procedure, so that in general removal of the spacing members, and thus reduction in the rigidity of the fence assembly, would not be possible in normal use, and should thus deter vandalism.

It will be appreciated that instead of a series of panels or boards, it would be possible to use a single large barrier member between the supporting members, this barrier member extending fully from one post to another, thereby obviating the need for spacing members. It will be appreciated that this would necessitate the method of assembly described where the posts are not firstly fixed into the ground, unless there was at least some clearance available between one end of the barrier panel and the respective adjacent upper and lower ends of the supporting members to enable these to be pushed further into a post while the supporting members are aligned with the other fixed post, as described above.

Instead of a continuous slot in one or each supporting member, a number of spaced, discrete slots, possibly equi-spaced, could be provided, so that the panel spacings are pre-determined. Such slots could 'continue' through the channel base, and the fencing/barrier members could protrude/extend through one or both supporting members whilst held thereby, or to be supported on the ground or equivalent surface. Instead of being in the form of one or more panels, the fencing/barrier members of the fence, i.e. the elements between the supporting members, could be stakes, rods, poles, bars or the like.

As mentioned previously, it will be possible for the height of the fence assembly to increase steadily if required, by way of the supporting members being other than parallel. Clearly the height of the fence will depend upon the height of the uprights, and with a particularly high fence, it may well be necessary to have stronger/heavier boards or the like. It will also be appreciated that it would be possible to provide more than two slots along the height of each post so that, for example, it would be possible to provide, at different heights along the post, barrier assemblies of different kinds each between a pair of supporting members.

For example at the lower part of the post the fence could be formed by a solid barrier panel or the like, whereas higher up along the post a second assembly of upper and lower supporting members could be formed with spaced panels or boards as shown in Figure 2. With panels 15, or any other barrier member(s), the engagement with continuously slotted members 13,14, may be sufficiently tight that spacing members are not required in order to retain the panels etc. in their required spaced or desired arrangement. In a further embodiment, more than one slot (or set of discrete slots) could be provided in the supporting members, to allow the fence to be made up of front and rear slats by the use of such laterally spaced slots.

Other advantages of the invention are as follows. The assembly uses standard steel sections for structural framework with no welding. At each vertical post there is infinitely variable pitch. As well as multicolour plastics material being used for aesthetic appeal, feature panels could be included for special needs, i.e. a chalk board, abacus, tactile textures, or storyboard motifs. Finally, variable features can be clipped onto the assembly allowing flexibility and variability of interest features particularly in children's play areas.

As mentioned above, a short fence, as shown in Figure 8 can be used as a gate between uprights 10. In this embodiment, instead of the upper and lower supporting members extending from one upright post to the 10, and securely fastened with a plain stainless steel nut 36 so that the pin extends vertically upwards as shown. The upper hinge pin 33 is fitted into a loose top hinge plate 37 using a stainless steel dome nut 38, the hinge pin 33 extending normally from the plate 37 and arranged downwardly in use as shown in Figure 9. The lower hinge pin is then greased and it is ensured that nylon bushes are fitted into the heel bar of the gate structure, formed by the lower supporting member 14. The gate structure is then lowered onto the lower hinge pin so that this pin engages with the support member 14. The upper hinge pin 33 is then greased and fitted into a top bush of the gate provided by the upper support member 13. The plate 37 is then fitted to the top of the left hand gate post 10 by the use of bolts. This fixing is by way of engagement of the plate 37, through the intermediary of the bolts, with a lug of the post, the lug having two longitudinal slots which enable the top hinge to be adjusted for correct gate alignment so that the gate, pivotally connected to the left hand post 10 is horizontal and normal between its two upright posts, with, as mentioned, an appropriate latch or the like being connected at the other end of the structure between the upper support member 13 and the right hand upright post 10. Thus although with this embodiment the support members do not engage into slots in the upright posts, the support members do extend substantially fully between the upright posts, with the barrier which forms the gate being of identical form to that with a fence. On double leaf gates, drop bolts are installed and the position of the drop bolt tubes located, with the drop bolt tubes being concreted into position.

The arrangement of slots in the members 13, 14 engaged by the ends of the panels could be reversed, to provide projections from the members engaging in the (slotted or hollow) respective ends of the panels.

Claims (32)

1. A fence assembly comprising two spaced apart uprights, spaced apart upper and lower elongated support members, each extending from one upright to the other, or substantially from one upright to the other, the support members defining facing openings therein, and at least one fencing/barrier member extending between the upper and lower support members, with its respective upper and lower sides/ends received in or extending through said facing openings respectively.

2. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each of said openings comprises at least one slot.

3. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each support member is, in cross-section, in the form of a lipped channel, with a continuous slot being defined between said lips.

4. An assembly as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the lips forming said lipped channels have inturned ends.

5. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1, comprising a multiplicity of said fencing/barrier members spaced apart and retained in position by spacing members secured in said openings.

6. An assembly as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the facing openings are continuous slots in the upper and lower support members respectively.

7. An assembly as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the slots are formed by respective lipped channels of the upper and lower support members, in which slots the spacing members are snap-fitted.

8. An assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 7, wherein for each support member there is a single spacing member between adjacent fencing/barrier members and also a single spacing member at the outer side of each fencing/barrier member at respective opposite ends of the assembly adjacent said uprights.

9. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein each lipped channel has inturned lip ends, and each spacing member has a pair of barbs which snap-fittingly engage with the inturned lip ends to retain the spacing member with a support member.

10. An assembly as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the spacing member is retained against lateral movement but can be moved longitudinally of the support member.

11. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 5 to 10, wherein the spacing member is of plastics material.

12. An assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 10, wherein the fencing/barrier members are equi-spaced.

13. An assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12, wherein each upright has respective upper and lower openings to receive respective ends of the upper and lower support members as a close sliding fit.

14. An assembly as claimed in Claim 13, wherein said upper and lower openings are formed with a tab to prevent a spacing member fitted to the upper and lower support members from entering an upright.

15. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fencing/barrier member is a rectangular or substantially rectangular panel.

16. An assembly as claimed in Claim 15, wherein the panel includes an interior reinforcing member.

17. An assembly as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the reinforcing member is a metal rod.

18. An assembly as claimed in Claim 13 or Claim 14, wherein for the upper support member, its opposite end parts received in the uprights respectively have respective holes therein which receive pins to serve to connect the upper support member to the uprights.

19. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the upper and lower support members are parallel.

20. An assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12, in which the support members extend substantially from one upright to the other and constitute parts of a gate structure, which has a respective ends of the upper and lower support members adjacent one of the uprights pivotally connected thereto.

21. A gate assembly comprising two spaced apart uprights, spaced apart upper and lower elongated support members defining respective facing openings therein, at least one fencing/barrier member extending between the upper and lower support members, with its upper and lower sides/ends received in or extending through said facing openings respectively, the support members and fencing/barrier member forming, on assembly, a gate structure which is received between the uprights with its support members extending substantially from one upright to the other, and which at one end has its upper and lower support members pivotally mounted to an adjacent one of the uprights.

22. A kit of parts for producing a fence assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 20.

23. A kit of parts for producing a gate assembly as claimed in Claim 21.

24. A method of producing a fence assembly comprising two spaced apart uprights, spaced apart upper and lower elongated support members, each extending from one upright to the other, the support members defining facing openings therein, and at least one fencing/barrier member extending between the upper and lower support members, with its respective upper and lower sides/ends received in or extending through said facing openings respectively, the method comprising securing the uprights in place in a desired spaced apart relationship, engaging the support members releasably with the uprights so as to constitute said spaced apart upper and lower support members, and engaging said at least one fencing/barrier member with the support members so that its respective upper and lower sides/end are received in or extended through said facing openings respectively.

25. A method as claimed in Claim 24, wherein there is provided a multiplicity of fencing/barrier members, the method comprising engaging each of said fencing/barrier members with said upper and lower support members by inclining it between and in the plane of said support members, and then moving it to the vertical so that its sides/ends are received in said facing openings respectively.

26. A method as claimed in Claim 25, comprising sliding engaged fencing/barrier members towards one of the uprights to provide space for engagement of an endmost fencing/barrier member by inclining it and then moving it vertically.

27. A method as claimed in Claim 26, comprising upon engagement of all the fencing/barrier-members, spacing apart the engaged fencing/barrier members which have been slid together, and engaging spacing members between adjacent fencing/barrier members and between each end most fencing/barrier member and its adjacent upright.

28. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 24 to 27, comprising sliding respective first ends of the support members into one of the uprights, aligning the other respective second ends of the support members with respective upper and lower openings in the other of the uprights and sliding said other, second ends into said openings whilst retaining the first ends in engagement with said one upright.

29. A fence assembly substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in Figures 1 to 7, or Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.

30. A kit of parts for providing a fence assembly substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

31. A gate assembly substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in Figures 8 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.

32. A method of producing a fence assembly substantially as hereinbefore described.