A comprehensive guide to Victorian windows | Victorian sash windows - Parsons Joinery (2024)

Characteristics of Victorian windows

Whilst Victorian architecture encompassed a wide range of styles, and the specific characteristics of Victorian windows can vary depending on the sub-style or period within the Victoria era, there are general features that can help to recognise and identify Victorian windows:

Sash windows were a symbolic style of the Victorian era with frames and sashes typically made from wood. The frames often had a thicker profile compared to the slimmer frames of Georgian windows. The use of decorative mouldings or profiles on the window frames was also common.

Victorian windows are typically characterised by their ‘two over two panel’ grid design that features on both the top and bottom panes, significantly less than the ‘six over six’ panel typical of the Georgian style that reigned before them. Glass panes are connected by horizontal or vertical wooden bars which are often slimmer than their surrounding frame to optimise the amount of light allowed to flood into a room or building.

Other features symbolic of Victorian windows include:

Shape variety

Victorian windows come in a wide range of shapes, including rectangular, square, arched, or bay windows. The use of different shapes added visual interest and architectural variety to buildings.

Stained glass

Stained glass windows were popular during Victorian times, incorporating coloured glass pieces arranged in beautiful, intricate patterns or designs. Stained glass windows can be a recognisable feature of Victorian architecture, which you will still frequently spot in lots of churches, grand residences, or public buildings.

Decorative detailing

Victorian windows often boast stunning decorative detailing and embellishments including intricate mouldings, ornate carvings, and intricate patters or motifs on the window frames, sashes, or surrounding trim.

Victorian sash windows

Modern Victorian windows

How are modern Victorian windows created?

As we have already established, modern glazing methods allow us to manufacture one big sheet of glass rather than lots of smaller panes held together with timber bars. However, to retain the traditional Victorian appearance (which is important to period homeowners, and often a legality for owners of listed and conservation properties), we can still incorporate bars into the window design to create the illusion of smaller panes. There are a couple of ways to achieve this: either with real-dividing bars or Astragal bars (at Parsons Joinery we refer to these as Applied bars). Both methods divide up larger, more efficient windows to give a traditional appearance, but they have a slightly different method.

Astragal (Applied) bars describes timber bars that are planted on to the window glazing from both the inside and the outside of the pane to create the illusion of smaller panes, when in fact there is just one big pane of glass used.

Real-dividing bars is where the windows are made up of separate panes of glass with the timber bars visible on both the inside and outside of the sashes and run throughout the whole sash.

UPVC window suppliers have their own version of this whereby they add bars to the double-glazing, and they are sealed within the window unit – no bars are tangible on the outside of the actual glass itself. While uPVC window suppliers can create the illusion of real-dividing bars from a distance, they do not replicate the traditional timber dividing bar design as accurately as real-dividing timber bars and uPVC is likely to be approved by planning if you own a listed or conservation property.

As professional joiners, traditional timber windows are our speciality. We can fit either timber real-dividing bars or applied bars into modern double-glazed units (windows and doors) when completely replacing the timber sash windows of a Victorian property.

It is worth considering real-dividing bars vs Astragal (Applied) bars when planning a window renovation project. Whilst we are able to offer both types of glazing bar design, 99% of our projects request the applied bar option as standard.This is because real-dividing glazing bars need to be much wider so they will not look the same as the traditional windows.

Stained glass in modern Victorian windows

Stained glass can also be replicated within modern Victorian windows. At Parsons Joinery, we can either design a completely new window and new stained-glass design, or we can replicate your existing design. We can also go one step further and replace all single glazed sash windows with double glazed sashes whilst retaining the original stained glass. This case study written by our sister company Wandsworth Sash Windows, is a great example of a complete sash replacement, retaining the original stained glass.

Weatherproofing and durability of Victorian sash windows

The impressive performance of double-glazed timber sash windows crafted by Parsons Joinery, spans far beyond just thermal retention, beautiful aesthetics, and authenticity. By choosing traditional wooden sash windows, you get durability and weather protection in abundance. Our bespoke made products and timber come from FSCorPEFC certified forests. So, if your windows are made and installed by us, you can rest assure that the wood used to create your products is of exceptional quality, sustainable and good for the environment. We make all our windows and doors bespoke for every customer in our workshop in Sussex ensuring custom, precise, quality fit and finish.

We select the appropriate wood type for each project and fully treat all products, to ensure our windows and doors (if well cared for) remain robust and durable, in all elements, for decades for come. This is reflected in our 30-year guaranteed period against rot on all timber products.

Victorian window shutters

Victorian windows were often adorned with elaborate curtains, drapes, or lace coverings, which added to the overall aesthetic and provided privacy. Like the present day, interior window shutters are a popular window treatment for Victorian style windows. They serve as both a practical and decorative element in Victorian homes offering light control, privacy, and insulation.

Slimmer slats (louvres) can help create a more traditional look and wooden shutters can either be divided into separate panels or have a solid design depending on the look you want to create. A wide variety of paints and stains will ensure shutters complement the interior décor of a room too.

Adjustable louvres allow residents to regulate the amount of natural light and airflow entering a room while maintaining privacy. By adjusting the position of the louvres, occupants could also control the direction of light and the view outside.

During Victorian times, interior shutters were considered a decorative window dressing. They added a touch of elegance and sophistication to the interiors, complementing the overall Victorian aesthetic. The shutters could be adorned with intricate woodwork or decorative elements, enhancing the visual appeal of the windows and the room as a whole.

Victorian bay window shutters

Today, interior shutters can be crafted in a wide range of styles, shapes, sizes, and configurations, making them a much loved, energy efficient window dressing solution. Victorian bay windows can be notoriously hard to dress due to their large expanse and awkward shape. However, bespoke made shutters can be made for any size or shaped window and would contribute to reducing heat loss in the summer by providing an extra barrier. Likewise, during the summer months, shutters work well at keeping cool air trapped in a room and keeping warm air out.

Victorian architecture in London

The Victorian era spans the period of Queen Victoria’s reign, from 1837 to 1901. During that time we witnessed significant architecture and interior design progression with several distinct styles prevalent during the Victorian period that were revivals of previous designs: Gothic, Italianate, Romanesque, Renaissance, Queen Anne, and Neoclassical.

There are so many Victorian buildings in and around London that should be highlighted, but here are some of our favourite famous Victorian buildings still standing in London: