The Brentham Society Committee has posted on the website its report on window renovation. The conclusions are given in the Executive Summary with Guidance for Residents in Appendix B.
The Committee will continue looking at the specifications of conservation quality double glazing units and encourage further discussion in the future.
Find a copy of the report here
Click here for some background.
Brentham suffered significant damage from the storm during the night of 15th/16th October 1987.
See what residents woke up to on the morning of 16th October 1987 (30 years ago)
If you have any photos of the storm you’d like to donate to the archive contact use here
A fascinating new book by Mark Johnson “Street Trees in Britain – A History” is an authoritative account of how trees went from being absent or random elements in the urban landscape to important components in the design of streets.
While mainly about Britain the history and influence of tree planting in other countries is included throughout.
Highly entertaining and readable it moves from ancient Egyptian avenues and the French promenades of the 17th century to the concrete landscapes of modern town development and, of course, Brentham has its own section.
This book would be enjoyed by anyone with love of history and trees so it might be a good idea to start early Christmas shopping by taking advantage of the special pre-publication offer at £29.95 – click here for more detail.
(Pre publication offer now closed)
These tea towels show images from our extensive archive. Printed on top quality Panama Cotton, hemmed on 4 sides, measuring 78 x 49 cm and priced at £6-50 each, or £20 for the set of four, they make ideal gifts.
Only available direct from The Brentham Society – contact us here
Local Cafe, Cinnamon, on Pitshanger Lane has come up with a really useful idea and is recycling coffee grounds for customers to take for their gardens.
Do help yourselves, enrich your Brentham garden and at the same time support a local recycling initiative.
The Conservation Policies of Ealing Council are instrumental in keeping our estate looking good so it’s important for us to pay attention to how those policies are being applied in other conservation areas. A planned large development in the heart of Ealing, that many believe will be detrimental and out of scale with the town centre, is now proposed. It would be worrying for us in Brentham if the principles of conservation policy are being ignored by the Council.
In the Chair’s Notes in Brentham News 183, distributed to all residents in June 2015, we stated that Ealing Council would allow double glazing in certain circumstances, including where “this would make an improvement on existing windows which are in poor repair”. This statement is misleading. In practice, the Council has been approving installation of double glazing in Brentham type windows where this would replace non-Brentham type windows installed earlier, but not in existing Brentham type windows that have fallen into disrepair. In this latter instance, approval has only been given for single glazed accurate copies of original windows
As noted in Brentham News 183 (June 2015), the Brentham Society has set up a working group, to look at the question of whether double glazing could be installed in Brentham houses without compromising the character of the Conservation Area.
The Brentham Society recognises that there are strongly held views among some of its members in favour of and against the new Slimlite units, which to some residents appear to bring the benefits of modern technology without damaging the Brentham environment. The working group has been set up to examine this new technology, to collect reliable data about thermal efficiency, impact on the environment, likely lifetime and to compare this with the secondary glazing alternative. It is hoped that this will enable residents to make informed choices about glazing.
The working group will also see how other conservation areas are using these new units, and consider whether they might be introduced at Brentham, perhaps in certain areas of the estate, for example. These recommendations will be considered by the Society and if appropriate, discussed with the Conservation Officer. If she agrees, then they will be used to update the Policy and Design Guide.
It is hoped that by providing reliable date and clear advice for residents, it will allow informed discussions for renewal of glazing for their houses, and reduce the need for wasted planning applications and appeals.
The working group is now in place and has had initial discussions. We will continue to keep residents up to date through the web site and in Brentham News, and hope to have some clear proposals in due course.
The question of double glazing has become a major discussion point recently, and the April edition of Brentham News Extra outlined the Brentham Society views and Council policy on these.
The discussion has arisen following a successful appeal by a resident in Denison Road where the planning inspector overturned the Council’s decision to refuse permission to replace all of the windows with new timber windows containing slim sealed units (double glazing). A few weeks earlier there was a similar appeal by a separate resident in Denison Road where the Council’s refusal was upheld.
Following the successful appeal, the company which manufactures the windows in question issued marketing material referring to ‘the approved Brentham style window’. However, this is incorrect as the Council’s position has not changed and there is no standard ‘approved’ Brentham window – except the original one!
The view of the Brentham Society, and that of the Council also, is that, while we would all like to improve the insulation in our houses, currently double glazing detracts from the need to conserve the appeal of the estate. The most distinctive features you see on the front of Brentham houses are the windows. Their appeal rests in the delicacy of the frames and glazing bars, and the characteristic uneven reflections created by the original glass panes. They also serve to unite the overall appearance when houses are grouped in terraces. So changing the windows in one Brentham house will affect its ‘look’ and in many cases detract from the visual appeal of the whole street.
We welcome your views on this subject. Click here to submit or read new comments, and to find a copy of Brentham News Extra and read the Appeals Decisions in full.
Please also come along to our meeting on Thursday 30th April at 8.00 in the Brentham Club, where we will be discussing and demonstrating alternatives.
The book ‘Brentham: A History of the Pioneer Garden Suburb’, by Aileen Reid, £15 including a free copy of the DVD ‘The Brentham Story’.
Available at Pitshanger Bookshop
see also the Society SHOP
