Sash windows have been an important feature of British architecture for around 400 years. In this article we look at how they've evolved. No-one is entirely sure exactly where or when these windows where first invented. We know that windows recognisable to us as vertically sliding sash where in use in England, France and Holland by 1600, and many people assume that these windows were a [b][url=http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/burberry-55s-cases-c-119_144/]Burberry iPhone 5S Cases[/url][/b] development of the horizontal sliding windows sometimes referred to as "Yorkshire sashes".
The earliest sashes were unassisted, in that they didn't have the cord and weight balancing that came later. It's very likely that the first fully [b][url=http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/adidas-55s-cases-c-119_207/]Adidas iPhone Cases[/url][/b] assisted and balanced windows were invented in England in the seventeenth century. One of the earliest (and grandest!) examples of these windows being used was in Ham House in Surrey, which was built in 1610.
Other examples of grand 17th century English houses and palaces that were built (or rebuilt) with sash windows include, (1622 by Inigo Jones), [b]http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/iphone-55s-cases-c-119/ [/b] Hampton Court Palace (1689 by Christopher Wren) and Kensington Palace (1690 by Christopher Wren).
As a result of royal patronage and their use [b][url=http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/iphone-55s-cases-c-119/]iphone 5 cases[/url][/b] by famous architects, by the end of the 17th century sash windows were extremely fashionable, and no grand design would be seen without them. Indeed, their popularity in this age set them up and the main British (and colonial) window style for the following 200 years.
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The Georgian era of the 18th and early 19the centuries saw sash windows boom, until they were virtually the only type of window being used in Britain. Georgian sashes are characterised by simple sight lines, plain sash horns, small panes of glass (particularly in the early Georgian period, when flat glass was small and expensive) and [b][url=http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/chanel-55s-cases-c-119_139/]Chanel iPhone 5S Cases For Sale[/url][/b] the classic six-over-six glazing bar layout.
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As the Georgian era gave way to the Victorian, so sash windows changed as well. Partly based on improved technology (particularly in glass), but mostly on the classic Victorian desire for embellished designs, sash windows grew more ornate. The simple lines of Georgian windows gave way to ornate architraves, window trims [b][url=http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/hermes-55s-cases-c-119_227/]Hermes iPhone 5S Cases[/url][/b] and stone surrounds. As glass sizes grew bigger glazing bars became fewer but more ornate. And once simple and functional sash horns were carved into fancy scrolls.
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The death of Queen Victoria in 1901 ushered in the new Edwardian era. For sash windows this meant a return to the simple, clean, elegant lines of Georgian windows, but often on a much larger scale. During Edwardian times sash windows became huge - regularly floor [b][url=http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/michael-kors-55s-cases-c-119_153/]Michael Kors iPhone 5S Cases[/url][/b] to ceiling heights, and five foot widths. However, the Edwardians didn't reject all signs of Victorian ornamentation - sash horns used simple almost minimalist scroll shapes and the windows themselves included very subtle beading and detail lines. The Edwardians also reflected the style of their Georgian forerunners by including glazing bar grids, typically in the top sash only, despite the fact that they weren't necessary for small glass panes.
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The end of the Edwardian period in the 1920s saw the start of the decline of sash windows. [b]http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/ [/b] Sashes were expensive and time-consuming to make, and their various moving parts - especially the sash cords and weights - required a lot of maintenance. In the first half of the 20th century austerity, war and modern production methods meant that much cheaper casement windows became increasingly popular, soon overtaking sash windows. After the Second World War sash windows almost completely died out. Steel windows became popular, followed by aluminium and eventually uPVC. In the late 70s and early 80s double glazing became popular, and many people started replacing old single glazed sash with modern double glazed casements. That process continues today.
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Although modern replacement timber sashes have always been available, their high cost and maintenance requirements meant that they were always very much a niche product. This started to change in the mid-1980s, when uPVC sash windows were first introduced. Although slow to take off, by the turn of the century their popularity had grown considerably, partly fuelled by the poor reputation cheap uPVC casements had earned. House builders started to use uPVC sashes in the prestige developments, marking them apart from the standard developments that use casement windows. At the same time conservation became a higher priority for local authorities, and many began to insist on sash windows in their more historic areas. All of this has meant that the popularity of uPVC sash windows has soared, and they have [b][url=http://www.cellphonecasesa.com/tory-burch-55s-cases-c-119_210/]Tory Burch iPhone 5S Cases For Sale[/url][/b] now moved from being very much a niche product to pushing into the mainstream.