Sash Windows Reigate

Reigate town developed a large trade in oatmeal during the 16th century but this had ceased by about 1720. With wealth being brought into the region there are some stunning examples of period properties with traditional sash windows still in existence today.

By the mid-1700s, word had begun to spread about the beauty and clean air of neighbouring Dorking and the surrounding area. Londoners loved the cleaner air and would love coming to visit, with many choosing to settle in nearby Box Hill. The arrival of the London and Brighton Railway in 1841 led to new buildings being built across the parish. This resulted in a second town in the eastern fields around the railway station in an area that was previously uninhabited: this town at first had two names, one confusingly being Warwick Town, but since the early 20th century it has been called Redhill.

The typical timber sash windows in Surrey as we know them have been around for hundreds of years. The traditional, double-hung, boxed framed sliding sash window originates in 17th Century London and quickly spread out to neighbouring towns and hamlets. It is a common misconception that sash windows were an imported design, but in fact, the sash windows you see abroad were exported.

The design of the counterbalanced window has not been attributed to any one person or any single geographical area. It is accepted that the vertical sliding sash window was originally held open with wooden pegs, inserted into holes within the frame at various positions. This later developed into a counterbalanced idea, handmade lead weights held on cotton twine rope with timber pulley wheels. At Sliding Sash Solutions, we have seen many examples of historic old weights, suspended from varieties of cotton cord whilst renovating some very old windows within grade 1 and grade 2 listed buildings and conservation areas.

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 sliding sash window came to the fore after the great fire of London (1666). After the great fire, new regulations produced guidelines recommending that the wooden window frames should be recessed behind the outer stone or brick exterior. This led directly to the development of Georgian architecture, sash windows represented the most up to date and technically advanced features of the day. The windows remained popular for many decades after The Great Fire and are still very prevalent today.

There are currently over six thousand buildings of historic interest within Surrey, all of which can be found on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) website. Sliding Sash Solutions will always work on our ethos of protecting these buildings, and the windows and doors that are integral to keeping the character of these properties for years to come.