Evolution of Windows

Evolution of window has led to an ability to change not just the performance but the character of a building. An historical perspective on how windows came to be as they are today. This will range from early church architecture through to modern housing. Examples of replacement windows that are sympathetic to the original character of the building & some that are less
So; and it will give guidance on compliance with Building Regulations.
An historical perspective
What is a window? Simply, it’s a hole in a wall to let light in (or an arrow out!). The drawback with just a hole is that it does not just let light in, it lets heat out, lets the weather in
and may let unwanted visitors in.
Early “windows” in the Bronze and Iron Ages countered these downsides by using wooden shutters and even scraped and stretched animal hides (similar to drum skins) which were dipped in oils to make them translucent and waterproof.
The use of glass for architectural purposes began at the end of the first century AD when the Romans discovered that adding manganese oxide to the mixture made clear glass, albeit with poor optics.
This glass was only used in the most important buildings. The pane production method, which was basically casting, remained largely unchanged until the eleventh century, when two techniques were developed. Both of these involved blowing a ball of molten glass into a bubble. The bubble was then either, pierced and spun into a disc, or the bubble was swung to form a cylinder, which was then slit and laid out flat. The panes were then cut from the parts of the
plate with the best thickness and clarity.
At the end of the seventeenth century the French developed a method of producing larger plates of higher clarity. This was achieved by pouring the molten glass onto a special table. The glass was then rolled flat and the surfaces ground with fine abrasive powder. It was not until the nineteenth century that glass production became mechanized and mass production began. The early twentieth century saw a number of advances in plate production. Two methods for continuous plate production were invented in Belgium around the time of the First World War. These involved drawing ribbons of molten glass from tanks. The later version then drew the ribbon through rollers to obtain a consistent thickness and finish.

The Dark Ages from 410 –1065 AD
The Norman period 1066 to 1215 AD
The High Middle Ages 1216-1398 AD
The Late Middle Ages 1399 – 1484 AD
The Tudor Period 1485 – 1602 AD
The Stuart Period 1603 – 1713
The Georgian Period from 1714 –1836 AD
Victorian windows from 1837-1901 AD
Early 20th Century was Art Deco