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Windows today come in all shapes and sizes. Whatever type of window you want can be found. When the sash window was created, it changed how the world looked at windows forever and their functionality. Finally people were able to air out their homes without welcoming the outdoor elements in with it. But there does seem to be a bit of a debate on who invented the sash window and what is its origins.

To figure out the timing of when it was likely created, most look to paintings. One in particular, Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, stands out. In this painting, a sash window can be seen in the background. This leaves many to believe that it was created around or before the time of the painting, which has tentatively been dated to be around 1657. However, one thing is certain, they were being installed in England in the 1670′s and the proof is Ham House.

Many attribute a young Robert Hooke as being the inventor of these windows. But according to researchers, during the 1650′s Mr. Hooke was a chorister, employed as a chemical assistant and then was an assistant for a philosopher till about 1662. In that time he was assisting in constructing, operating, and demonstrating a “machina Boyleana” or air pump. But it is known that Mr. Hooke had a keen eye and was adept at mathematics.

Even though the debate is still open as to whether it was Robert Hooke or another, it doesn’t change things. What is up for agreement is that these windows were a status symbol for the finest homes in England during that time. All across Britain they were used in buildings ranging from small cottages to grand palaces.

The popularity of these windows, besides fashion, came about because of their simplicity and advantages. Not only were they good for providing ventilation in the home that was controlled by the owner. But they also reduced the risk of rain entering into the house, while at the same time providing that ventilation.

During the Georgian period sash windows changed design, instead of one moving sash there were suddenly two. As the improvement in glass started, larger panes began to appear in windows. This led to the classic Georgian design of six over six panes of glass with narrow bars.

Who invented the sash window and what is its origins may never be completely known. But the sash style of windows has proved to have lasted throughout time. It has been several centuries since they were first introduced and still they are seen everywhere in new homes and restored older Victorian and Georgian homes. And, because their popularity is still high, the craft and skills used in restoring and caring for them is still taught today.

Learn more about exactly who invented the sash window and what is its origins now in our comprehensive top sash window company london and sash window refurbishment London review.

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The French word ‘chassis’ meaning a frame is the origin or the word sash. However, who invented the sash window and what is its origins remains a mystery. In Vermeer’s painting the sash appears, which supposes that Holland was the originator. A ‘Yorkshire Sash’, a window that opened horizontally existed at the same time in England.

The French have earlier examples of this horizontal window though. They later used a vertical sash kept open by a block that turned under the open window, they are also credited with the vertical mechanism of rope and weight. Mechanization in general kept pace with the new invention. Britain is renowned for appropriating culture, art and architecture that appealed to them when colonizing a country. Perhaps the Queen took the French master joiners home with her on her return to England.

While Thomas Kinwood, Sir Christopher Wren’s best craftsman created the first instructions for its design and installed it in Whitehall Palace, Robert Hooke also used them in Ham House in 1670 and later at Kensington Palace and Hampton Court. Wren was a palace favourite and famous in his own right and thus a fashion was born. In the colonies and in Britain, sash windows were all the in thing.

In a rainy climate, the window is ideal allowing for ventilation while protecting from rain through leaving a narrower gap at the bottom or top of the window. Casement windows with their hinges rotted and warped in the weather. The sash had a frame to enclose its mechanical parts. They are also more beautiful on the front of a building with larger panes and fewer wooden joins.

During Georgian times, the original sash that opened only at the bottom was replaced with one in which both panes move. An oak frame allowed for bigger panes as glass manufacture became more sophisticated. This is the period when the classical pattern of six panes over six panes originated as less joins were needed for support.

Adored by the Victorians, the sash windows became works of art as all sorts of decorations were placed around them. Frequently gracious stone work would surround a number of sashes grouped in a bay formation. While the lower floors had larger windows to allow more illumination. The higher floors would have smaller windows tricking the viewer into seeing an enhanced grandeur and greater perspective.

The sash window was loved from its introduction in approximately 1650. Only the factories of the First World War made the window go out of fashion as it became easier to mass produce the casement in wood or metal again. Master joiners were just too expensive. Actually it is impossible to tell who invented the sash window and what is its origins.

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