History of the Sash Window
Timber windows in England have been around for hundreds of years. The sliding box sash window can find its origins in 17th Century London. It is a common misconception that sash windows were an imported design, but in fact the sash windows you see abroad are exported and you can find them in colonized countries across the world including India, the Caribbean and America.
The design of the sash window comes from a time when streets were narrow and windows jutting out could have touched the building opposite or blocked the path of a thatcher. The “Yorkshire sash” as it is more commonly known is a horizontally sliding window, normally with one of the sashes fixed. This predates the vertical sash window and was a common feature across the country.
The sliding sash window came to the fore after the great fire of London (1666). English Baroque as the period became known was responsible for many architectural master pieces built with sliding sash windows, such as the remodeled Hampton Court (See pictures), Greenwich and Kensington Palaces.
The actual design of the counter balanced window design has not been attributed to any one person or any single geographical area. What is commonly accepted is that the vertical sliding sash window was probably held open with wooden wedges and then this developed into a counter balanced idea, handmade lead weights held on twine rope. Our fitting teams have come across some of these old weights and straggles of rope whilst removing some very old windows in listed buildings.
The architectural designs of the sash window mainly follow the development of glass. The process of manufacturing glass has been developed and improved over the last 500 years.
The main design of the sash windows are:
The original multi paned sash window which became popular in the Georgian Period 1714 -1811. This design included the bowed window which was designed to bring in light especially in narrow streets. Other notable features were the ntricate glazing bars which held in the brittle handmade crown glass. A lot of the earlier Georgian sash windows had quarter panes to the outside edge of the windows whereas the later Georgian windows had panes which were evenly split. Large panes of glass were too expensive to make hence many smaller panes.
- The original multi paned sash window which became popular in the Georgian Period 1714 -1811. This design included the bowed window which was designed to bring in light especially in narrow streets. Other notable features were the intricate glazing bars which held in the brittle handmade crown glass. A lot of the earlier Georgian sash windows had quarter panes to the outside edge of the windows whereas the later Georgian windows had panes which were evenly split. Large panes of glass were too expensive to make hence many smaller panes.
- In 1774 the city of London & Westminster starting to enforce a comprehensive building regulations act. This covered built up areas stipulating that all windows and doors were recessed backed 4inches. This was to reduce the risk of fire spreading from building to building. Other earlier acts including parapet walls to rise two and a half feet above the garrett floor. Building regulations of sorts have been around since the 1100s. Thatched roofs were banned in London in 1212.
- Building regulations were not always implemented, the properties below are late 1790s. Developing areas of this period such as Brighton were not organised and building regulations were not enforced until much later.
Regency or late Georgian 1811-1830 windows were distinctive in their design still retaining the multi paned look but incorporating ornate features and moldings which was fashionable especially in Brighton in and around the Prince Regents Royal Pavilion.
The Victorians 1830-1901 brought with them development and glass technology. Other notable points of this time were the abolishment of the window tax 1696-1851. The window tax had a big impact on period properties as you can see many bricked up windows were made as an architectural feature. However this detail was commonly used in much later properties as a design from pattern books which many developers of this time used. Cylinder plate glass was developed in 1834 was introduced across English towns and cities form the 1850s onwards. This enabled the economical manufacturer of large and heavier panes of glass. Rural communities were slow at picking this up and the multi paned “Georgian” windows were common in these areas up until the 1880s.
- Victorian houses are now associated with large single paned windows many with canted rather than bowed bays. Canted or square angled bays were a third of the labour cost of bowed windows. During this period many late Georgian and regency properties had their windows upgraded, a sign of wealth was large windows without glazing bars. To accommodate these heavy single panes of glass the horn or joggle was introduced on the upper sashes. This is a detail you can see in the corner of the sash which is to hide a mortise and tenon joint which slots into each other. Earlier multi paned window were just slotted together but this joint proved to come apart with the weight of the new Cylinder glass.
Edwardian and later (1901) onwards sash windows are noted for their combination of earlier features, mainly the Georgian or ornate top sash over a single paned Victorian sash. This was the last change in sash windows as the cost of labour grew mainly to loss of competent trades men in the wars that followed. Sash windows have never been phased out whether to the repairs needed on old houses or mock Georgian houses made with inferior sash window designs, including cheap fast grown timber with spring balances.
- Modern replica sash windows, these are double glazed, constructed out of Accoya and finished with microporus paints.
Hampton Court sash windows. Some of the best examples anywhere in the country. Circa late 1600s. This facade was remodelled by Sir Christopher Wren for Queen Anne.
This is original content written from knowledge –
by Pembroke Nash
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