The History of The Box Sash Window
.Sash windows in the form of very basic timber shutters have a history dating back as far as the thirteenth century.
In the sixteenth century glazed sash windows started to appear, these windows sliding horizontally. Vertical glazed sash windows would not appear until the mid seventeenth century and it is believed they originated in France.
French nobility escaping the guillotine in France arrived in England bringing with them the latest technology and designs of more advanced sash windows.
The first recorded glazed sliding sash window was installed for the Queen Mother who had just returned from France with a highly skilled French joiner who pushed for the complete renovation of Somerset house in London.
The exact history of how the weighted and balanced glazed sash window came about is not clear, although some say that the invention was a British one, many could say it was a french one.
As an updated re-make of the original vertical sliding window glazed with small squares of glass and very thick glazing bars due to the delicate and primitive glass available at the time would have made it a very heavy window to operate.
Counter balancing was first used in doors. There is documented evidence of weights and ropes being fitted to doors in various parts of Whitehall. It was only a matter of time before this system was applied to windows.
At no point in history has any one person laid claim to the invention of the sash window nor has there ever been a patent applied for.
Glass producers began to make glass that was more reliable and stronger and the British Government of the day stopped the taxation of glass, this all helped towards sash windows with large panes without bars.
It was a sign of being well off during the glass taxation period to have large glass windows in the UK.
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