Mumford & Wood, leading manufacturers of premium quality Conservation™ timber windows and doors, can now offer double-glazed period sash windows factory-finished with appealing antique glass.

This high quality, antique style glass is designed to recreate the much admired, wavy reflection of traditional handblown crown and cylinder glass. For over 40 years, manufacturers of modern timber windows have used float glass that has provided a perfectly flat, uniform and unblemished appearance which, to purist conservationists, does little to contribute to the visual character of a period building.

“We can now offer high performance, technically superior Conservation™ windows, designed with fine, elegant sight lines, which are enhanced with all the natural characteristics of antique glass,” says Chris Wood, Managing Director, Mumford & Wood Ltd. “Being energy rated, with the capacity to achieve high thermal performance in buildings that will greatly benefit from the contribution, these windows will look infinitely superior while performing a first rate job.”

“By using authentic antique glass we can also address the problem of a flat reflection caused by the second pane of glass in the double glazed unit which is one of the main reasons why our traditional window products cannot always be incorporated in Grade II list building renovations, although our Conservation™ products have been used extensively in many successful period projects.” Chris Wood continues: “I hope the various Conservation bodies will adopt a sensible approach in this innovation and allow its use in situations where owners want to produce an energy efficient property. Naturally, I agree that in very important historic properties it may not be appropriate.”

Although secondary glazing is sometimes considered an option to assist the performance of a single glazed product, as opposed to specifying a double glazed unit in the first instance, secondary glazing has its own inherent problems and simply fails to meet the thermal performance required today. Secondary glazing looks unsightly in an elegant, period property and produces the double reflection all parties are trying to avoid. It is often associated with ventilation problems and condensation; can hinder safe egress in an emergency and is difficult to clean internally. A double glazed alternative is visually superior, safer, more convenient and delivers environmentally.