Sash windows are commonly made of two wooden frames where one is above the other and slightly overlapping. This allows either of them to be closed or opened by sliding them up or down within the grooves. These types of windows have had a long European history more so in the United Kingdom but the origin of the first design is very difficult to trace.
Some historians attribute the invention to Dutch technology of the 1600s. A painting known as The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer a Dutchman has what is the representation of the framed window adding weight to the theory. The date of the completion of this painting is thought to be somewhere between 1657-61 but some turn down this evidence terming it inconclusive.
Another group believes that France is the origin of the technology which may have been passed to the English through the Dutch. This is because the term sash seems to be the Anglicized equivalent of the French word chassis which stands for frame. However, that is not enough for some people to bank on.
Another school of thought says that Robert Hooke an English inventor made the original design with the first installations done in England in the mid 1600s. Where it gets twisted is that there is a book written a century before in 1519 by W. Horman under the title Vulgaria which contains a clear description of the window mechanism that these types of windows utilize, i. E., the pulling of the frames up and down the grooves using cords.
The nationality of the first inventor may be unknown but it is in England where numerous innovations made the design usable and preferred by many. The engineers installed concealed weights and levers which enabled the lifting of even the heaviest of the frames with relative ease with just a pulling of the cord.
It is in the 17th century that architects such as Inigo Jones introduced the design in popular architectural work. Throughout the Georgian era many inventions were made further popularizing the windows. However, it is during the Victorian age that the technology achieved its highest glory probably due to the adoption of the design by royalty. Almost all of the buildings done at this age utilize this technology and those standing today have these windows in working condition.
The design may no longer be in vogue but the technology still lives on even after almost 500 years. Advancements have brought about changes in the design of the windows but the basic appealing structure still remains in countless homes. From the UK the technology has spread throughout the commonwealth as a mark of true English tradition.
Some historians attribute the invention to Dutch technology of the 1600s. A painting known as The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer a Dutchman has what is the representation of the framed window adding weight to the theory. The date of the completion of this painting is thought to be somewhere between 1657-61 but some turn down this evidence terming it inconclusive.
Another group believes that France is the origin of the technology which may have been passed to the English through the Dutch. This is because the term sash seems to be the Anglicized equivalent of the French word chassis which stands for frame. However, that is not enough for some people to bank on.
Another school of thought says that Robert Hooke an English inventor made the original design with the first installations done in England in the mid 1600s. Where it gets twisted is that there is a book written a century before in 1519 by W. Horman under the title Vulgaria which contains a clear description of the window mechanism that these types of windows utilize, i. E., the pulling of the frames up and down the grooves using cords.
The nationality of the first inventor may be unknown but it is in England where numerous innovations made the design usable and preferred by many. The engineers installed concealed weights and levers which enabled the lifting of even the heaviest of the frames with relative ease with just a pulling of the cord.
It is in the 17th century that architects such as Inigo Jones introduced the design in popular architectural work. Throughout the Georgian era many inventions were made further popularizing the windows. However, it is during the Victorian age that the technology achieved its highest glory probably due to the adoption of the design by royalty. Almost all of the buildings done at this age utilize this technology and those standing today have these windows in working condition.
The design may no longer be in vogue but the technology still lives on even after almost 500 years. Advancements have brought about changes in the design of the windows but the basic appealing structure still remains in countless homes. From the UK the technology has spread throughout the commonwealth as a mark of true English tradition.
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