South Hertfordshire
Sash windows in Welwyn.
Period houses in old Welwyn village and the early Garden City homes nearby. I repair, restore and draught-proof timber sash windows throughout Welwyn, with 25+ years’ hands-on experience and the same honest, repair-first approach on every job.
The houses in Welwyn
Welwyn Garden City was laid out from 1920 by Louis de Soissons in a neo-Georgian style, and its original houses were built with timber sash windows as a deliberate part of the look. The older west side around Parkway, Guessens Road and Handside has the best examples. A couple of miles north, old Welwyn village has Georgian and Victorian houses along the High Street with earlier sashes.
What usually goes wrong
Garden City sashes are now a century old and the common jobs are cords, worn pulleys, sashes painted shut and rot at sills and bottom rails, particularly on the weather side. Many have had cheap replacement glazing or casements fitted over the years, and owners are now putting proper sashes back. Welwyn village sashes have slim Georgian bars and old glass that need careful joinery.
Planning and conservation
Welwyn Garden City is covered by an Estate Management Scheme as well as conservation area rules, so external changes, including replacement windows, need the council’s consent. Repairs and draught-proofing of the existing sashes do not. Old Welwyn is also a conservation area with listed houses. Check with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council before planning any replacement.
How I help in Welwyn
Whether it’s one sticking sash or a whole house of period windows, here’s what I can do.
Questions from Welwyn
Sash window questions in Welwyn
No. Repairs, restoration and draught-proofing of the existing windows are maintenance and need no consent. Replacement windows do, and the scheme expects timber sashes that match the originals.
More answers on the FAQs page.