Older buildings especially often contain sash windows. These windows are known for their efficiency of air flow and are ideal for cooling down buildings in warm weather. This is due to the effect created if you open the top and bottom sashes equally, allowing warmer air to escape from the top and cooler air to be drawn in at the bottom. Did you ever wonder though who invented the sash window and what is its origins.
Robert Hooke, an Englishman who lived from 1635 to 1703, is credited with the invention of the sash window. He was an inventor, architect and scientist. His name went down in history for two main reasons. Firstly his law of elasticity, also called Hooke’s law, and secondly because of the work he did relating to the Great Fire of London in 1666. He did a lot of work surveying the damage and gained respect for his honesty. Later he helped Christopher Wren design and oversee the rebuilding of the city.
Many Victorian and Georgian homes contain have excellent examples of sash windows. The Six Over Six (three panes horizontally and two vertically) configuration is favored in this type of building. These windows are a good example or how long sash windows have been in use.
Ham house, a building in the possession by the National Trust, has some well known examples of sash windows that were probably fitted in the 1670s. The house was built in 1610 and is to be found in the English town of Ham, south of Richmond on the Thames River.
Another example of the long history and early origins of the sash window is the appearance of a sash window in the painting The Milkmaid by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Opinions on how old the painting is differ slightly but it is generally accepted to date from around 1657 or 1658.
The sash window is usually referred to in the USA as a hung sash window. This name describes the more common window with two moving sashes in a single frame rather than the less common single hung type with one sash that moves and one that is fixed.
The sash window is not as common a feature of buildings as it once was but they still appear in some types of buildings because of their old fashioned looks and efficiency in keeping rooms cool. The next time you come across one in a building you will at least know a bit about who invented the sash window and what is its origins.
Curious about who invented the sash window and what is its origins ? Get the low down on simply the best sash window company london now in our sash window refurbishment London overview.
|
|