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Sash windows are an integral component of 18th and 19th century style. They make practical and aesthetically pleasing alternatives to casements, with their large glass panels and graceful proportions.
After years of controversy, experts now believe they were originally invented in Yorkshire. Sash windows were designed to allow a small gap for ventilation without letting in the rain, and were also less prone to rotting and distortion due to their enclosure within a box.
Sash windows were a huge improvement over their predecessors, both aesthetically and practically, and were incorporated into older homes as well as being favored for new buildings. The window tax of the 18th and 19th centuries caused many of these fashionable windows to be taken out again, however.During the Georgian era, sash windows became what they are today, with the development of the two moving sashes. Blown glass with bull’s eye markings were the most common form, but still expensive. As better methods of making large panes were found, windows with six panels in each sash appeared, becoming characteristic of the Georgian sash window. They are considered characteristic of the Regency style.
The Victorians continued to favor sash windows, but added their own style with elaborate carved and molded ornamentation. Victorian houses often have large bay windows and elegantly proportioned facades with the windows getting gradually smaller as their height from the ground increases. Four paned sashes often indicate a Victorian style. The wealthy often chose to have older styles of window added to their property to distinguish themselves from the increasingly common use of plate glass sash windows with the slimmer glazing bars that were once prized.
Despite their popularity at the start of the 20th century, sash windows have become less common during the last hundred years, with cheaper, less labor intensive types of window being used instead. Demand has recently grown again due to increased awareness of architectural history. Sash windows today use all the latest technology, but retain the elegance and functionality of traditional sashes, and preserve the historic style of the older houses.
Written on July 18th, 2010 with
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