1920’s – 1930’s

To find out about special offers from reputable companies in your area,
then request a Window Brochure or Conservatory Brochure

FAQ: The abbreviation FENSA stands for FENESTRATION – SELF ASSESSMENT.

The uk dictionary definition of the word fenestral or fenestrate is ” belonging to or like a window” The word fenestration is “the arrangement of windows in a building”. FENSA is used by double glazing uk trade companies to certify that their replacement windows and doors installed comply with Building Regulations Document L (and more), actually checking av. 1% of all replacement windows installations.

Did You Know?

That Health & Safety Executive legislation now requires that
ANYONE who can potentially fall more than 2metres whilst working
should be provided with and use a fall arrest protection system!

See 2 examples of the equipment here.

Pre 2nd World War

An understanding of the times:

A fashion for the Arts and Crafts Movement strongly influenced the Mock Tudor ‘cottage’ style architecture of the 4.5 million suburban houses built between the two world wars, and the ‘pretty’ features of this style have never lost popularity to date. Although to purists it was a dishonest style, with the half timbering a decorative feature and not part of the essential frame-work of the building, as in the case of the genuine Tudor building. To those who thought that function should be put before aesthetics, the ‘mock’ Tudor features were an unnecessary ornament, and the style too “pretty”. This ignored popular taste and the fact that the people who were actually going to live in the homes liked the pretty ‘chocolate box’ look.

The ‘club’ of influential architects of the time were arbiters of taste, and their belief that they alone understood what was appropriate resulted in a great many plainer terraced and semi-detached houses of the thirties being built in repetitive and  more functional styles, which although were, and are still, home sweet home to many a happy family, were very different from real public taste at the time.

The many mullioned windows were often decorated with stained glass coloured fanlights, with leaded light casements below, and were unashamedly defaced on a wholesale basis with the arrival of  ‘modernisation’. This window conversion consisted of ruthlessly removing the top fanlights and fitting louvres for ventilation, and cutting out all of the mullions below and fitting a large single pane of glass in it’s place. The awful ‘picture window’ revolution had arrived and was perpetuated by popular public demand with the advent of ‘double glazing’. The death of this bland style came about partly by a fashion swing back to a more ‘pretty’ look, and was completely buried with the introduction in June 1995 of building regulations which specified that all habitable rooms must have a means of escape in the event of a fire.

The original many mullioned casement windows were very in keeping with the overall style and quite often had with coloured fanlights, but so many fell prey to the post war ‘modernisation’ spree.

There at the birth, the ‘picture window’ conversion, with louvres:picture windows conversion to double glazing
And here’s another one, they’re still around!old bay window conversion to double glazing

The two fanlight jobbies with large picture window below, perpetuated by popular demand, with the advent of ‘double glazing’:

Before, silver aluminium ‘picture’ d/g replacement windows:”You only fit new windows once…” 
This a myth that has now finally been dispelled.
1930 house windows modernised (a long time ago) to aluminium double glazing home improvement 
After, with a resurgence of style, and a more original or ‘pretty’ look, by yours truly:1930 house windows modernised to double glazing home improvement

Remember Ted Moult on the ‘telly’ with his feather indoors and the helicopter outdoors, telling us that ‘you only have double glazing fitted once, so fit the best…’. Well here we are, The Window Man that is, in the year 2000 having just replaced those old ‘mountain’ windows with PVC-U, and in a style that is now both more aesthetically pleasing than earlier ‘modernisation’, and more true to a ‘character’ appearance. 

Jump to other house building era’s of this century:

Late 1800’s – The 2Up, 2 Down

Edwardian/Victorian – Pre First World War

Post War – 1940’s through 1950’s

1960’s

1970’s

1980’s

1990’s – Present day

It would have been so easy to show you lots of impressive showroom type photos of new double glazing installations in this section, but I rarely do things the easy way! Instead I have chosen to show you a selection of photos taken by me whilst ‘out and about’ to illustrate the main house building styles of the last 100 odd years, and the windows and doors that go with them.

Double glazing and having double glazed glass in replacement windows gives you insulation.

Having double glazed sealed units in replacement windows doors, and conservatories – double glazing -is just like putting on another layer of clothing to keep out the cold.
Double Glazing Salesmen
All of their nasty tricks and tactics – FINALLY EXPOSED!!!

Read the complete review – click here