Note 1: This is a total upgrade/fix for the plugin created in 2011/updated in 2014:
https://dev.bukkit.org/projects/portecoulissante
This project has since been abandoned.

Note 2: I am fully aware this was remade in 2020, however this was also abandoned.
https://github.com/Dolphindalt/PorteCoulissante/releases/tag/1.0
The 2014 plugin worked better than the 2020 plugin, however both were broken.

I have paid for a complete upgrade to my own version of 1.21.4, though I imagine it will work on other versions above; this remains untested.

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As this is a remake/upgrade of another plugin, I will use their description and documentation. I have attempted to find the author to ask for their permission but their accounts are all gone and the public repo is gone. It isn't through lack of trying, and I just wanted to give the community a working historic plugin.

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Build redstone powered portcullises, without using commands!

Features:

• It doesn't use commands. Just build the portcullis and it will work.
• Stateless, i.e. it does not have to save anything on the server.
• It's redstone powered, giving you flexibility in controlling it.
• It is realistic. The portcullis does not disappear, but moves up and down just like a real one would.

Usage:

• Build the portcullis itself by stacking rows of fences (wood or iron), at least two wide and two high.
• Update July 2025: All fences and all walls are added, and customisable via the config in /plugins/ if you wish to remove any
• Build the wall around it to contain it. Leave enough empty space above the portcullis to allow it to go as high as you want it to go.
• Power the portcullis by powering one of the blocks adjacent to it on either side, by attaching a lever or redstone dust. For now, the power has to come from the side.
• The result should look something like this:

• When the block is powered, the portcullis will start moving upwards, and will keep going until it hits something and can't go any further. It moves slowly, since a portcullis is heavy!
• Important: make sure that when it is in the up position, it is still in contact with a powered block (the same one, or a different one).
• When the power goes off, the portcullis will drop down (a lot faster than it went up).
• Decorate the gate by building walls in front of and behind the portcullis to cover the empty space and to make it appear the portcullis is moving in a groove. Of course you can make it look any way you want! Here is an example:

Tutorial:

Check out this tutorial created by the folks of UK Gaming Troops:


Hints and tips:

• The portcullis can be any size you want, as long as it is at least two blocks wide and two blocks high. It must be rectangular though, and have no holes. If the portcullis breaks, it won't move any more until you repair it.
• Try to make the empty space above the portcullis one block less high than the portcullis itself (like in the first picture above). That way, you only need to power one block (the one in the middle on either side), since that block will always be in contact with the portcullis.
• Of course the empty space can be even smaller, if you want. The portcullis only has to go up two blocks to let people through, or three if you want the passage to be a little less claustrophobic.
• The portcullis will go through (and hold back) water and lava, so you can make water gates and water or lava traps with them.

Configuration:

The plugin is configurable via a configuration file. Aspects you can configure include: the hoisting and dropping speed; which materials the portcullis can be made from; which materials are allowed as power blocks (the frame blocks through which the redstone power is delivered to the portcullis; by default they can be any type), whether "floating" portcullises are allowed and various aspects of the sound effects.

Known problems:

• If a chunk containing a moving portcullis is unloaded by the server (because you log out, or leave the area, or teleport away), the portcullis stops moving. When you come back, it may be half way up. Just power cycle it to raise or lower it fully again. If it stopped while not being adjacent to any redstone powered block, you may have to stick a button or lever on the side temporarily to get it to move. (I recommend to build it in such a way that the portcullis is always adjacent to a redstone powered block; the same one, or different ones.)