North London
Sash windows in Highgate.
The Georgian houses of Highgate Village and surrounding listed buildings. I repair, restore and draught-proof timber sash windows throughout Highgate, with 25+ years’ hands-on experience and the same honest, repair-first approach on every job.
The houses in Highgate
Highgate Village is one of the best-preserved Georgian villages in London, with listed houses along the High Street, The Grove, South Grove and Pond Square, and a large conservation area around it. Below the village, the streets towards Archway, Crouch End and Highgate West Hill are Victorian and Edwardian, built with box sash windows as standard.
What usually goes wrong
Georgian sashes in the village need the gentlest work: freeing sashes painted shut without damaging slim bars, re-cording with matching cord, repairing rather than replacing old glass. Victorian houses on the slopes get the weather, so rot at sills and lower rails on exposed elevations is common, along with worn pulleys on the larger windows. Draughts and rattles are the most frequent reason people call.
Planning and conservation
Highgate conservation area is shared between Camden and Haringey, and many village houses are listed. Repair and draught-proofing of existing sashes need no consent. Any replacement on a listed house needs Listed Building Consent, and in the conservation area you should check with the relevant council before changing windows visible from the street.
How I help in Highgate
Whether it’s one sticking sash or a whole house of period windows, here’s what I can do.
Questions from Highgate
Sash window questions in Highgate
Yes, always, where it is sound. Old cylinder and crown glass is part of the window’s character and cannot be bought new. I re-bed it in fresh putty and only replace cracked panes.
More answers on the FAQs page.