HOW THE POPULARITY OF SASH WINDOWS HAS EVOLVED

Sash windows are known to be one of the most elegant and beautiful window solutions around today, and their rise in popularity is in no small part down to not only their unique looks and period aesthetics, but also their comprehensive practicality that bestows security, noise cancelling quality and insulation upon your home. Sash windows haven’t always been this way though, rising and falling in regard over the centuries tucked away in their meandering and remarkable history. Here at Bygone, we’re bringing you the highest standard of sash windows today, but would you have wanted them yesterday, or the day before?

Sash Windows were one of the cornerstones of the Victorian aesthetic, bringing elegance, subtle and diminutive proportions and style to the overall visual appeal of British buildings through the 18th and 19th centuries, when they were most popular.

One element that undoubtedly contributed to the early sash windows boom was the Window Tax, adorning them with lavish status value.

From this point onwards, through a large number of redesigns, improving on the efficiency and build of the window, the sash grew in popularity, with elegant cast-iron balconies dubbed ‘Regency’, formed from the base model of the window, as well as the use of the design to appear as casements in Tudor or sometimes Gothic revivals.

At the turn of the 20th Century, sash windows were the most widely used solution throughout the country. This however, wasn’t to last. After the First World War, mass-produced steel and timber windows began to be put in place, as the construction of sash windows involved lots of technical knowledge and developed procedures for effective production.

By the 60’s, replacing sash windows was a common phenomenon, and wide-spread update began up and down the country. In the 80’s, entire frames were being replaced, for newer versions that simply didn’t sit with the visual of an older house, making for the overall deformation of many 18th and 19th Century homes.

Fortunately, our modern eye for the aesthetic value of traditional windows is now fully developed, and with sash windows’ many new-age benefits, including unparalleled security and keen insulation aptitude as well as that beautiful visual appeal making them as popular as they once were, call us here at Bygone today and see how sash windows could make your home stunning!