THE BROOKING NATIONAL ARCHITECTURAL MUSEUM
Registered Charity Number 1155363
Seeing the light
Over the centuries artisans and designers have devised an astonishing range of ways
to let in the daylight. The Brooking National Collection contains a vast selection
of windows from timber sash and casement to blacksmith-
The blacksmith’s art (right) in the mid-
It’s just one piece of glass... (left) this elaborate Gothic style top sash came from Farncombe Hill House in Godalming, Surrey. From circa 1865, it uses an intriguing Italian glazing method which involves sliding the single glass pane through a slot in the top of the frame between the two moulded faces.
Detail of a glazing bar (below) shown half-
When was that? (above) Part of a sash pulley dating display from 1690’s to 1980’s. Sash pulleys can be very helpful in dating windows and, in some cases, buildings themselves. The Collection contains several thousand types. Drawing items such as these can heighten the understanding of them.
Folding feature (left) this section of a ground floor window shows the construction of shutters and shutter box from No 2 Beach Road, Hayling Island. This large house, built in 1828, was later the home of the Sandeman port family, and later still a Catholic choir school. This revealing section, acquired in 1993, is one of many equally illustrative examples in The Collection.
Stained glass everywhere (below) this domestic selection of leaded transom lights, circa 1929 to 1939, comes from as far afield as Bradford, Leeds, North Wales and Portsmouth. Designs sometimes show distinct regional features.
Stained and painted glass fanlight (above) from 1885. With coloured bullions and
a strong Aesthetic Movement influence, it was rescued from a middle-
The collection includes cross sections of sash boxes that illustrate the variety of construction techniques.
Copper glazing bars are unusual. This one (left) from Grovelands Park, Southgate, London dates from 1797.
Health and safety (left) this arched top sash is from a circa 1860’s mental asylum in the Birmingham area. Learn more about trading app. The glazing, similar to industrial buildings of the period, has cast iron rosettes and rolled wrought iron glazing bars designed for the security and safety of the inmates.
Weighting game (below left) this teaching display gives a behind-
Where’s the catch? (above) This selection shows some of the many imaginative ways designers found to fasten a sash window from the late 19th to early 20th centuries.
In those days they even decorated the sash pulleys ... the face plate of this cast iron example (left) was, possibly, designed by Christopher Dresser, an important designer of his time. Made by Archibald Kenrick & Sons of West Bromwich, it was produced from around the 1890’s and was still illustrated in the company’s 1926 catalogue.
Crittall steel window handle c. 1934. Window handles are another useful dating indicator.
Michael Clements, Survey of London.
Michael Clements, Survey of London.
‘Building’ magazine 1986.
‘Building’ magazine 1986.
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