Barnsbury Joinery

04/09/2026

Own a listed or historic property with original timber windows or shutters?

Before considering replacement, speak to a specialist who understands the value of the original fabric. Joinery that has survived for 100, 150 or even 200 years can often be carefully repaired, restored and retained.

Barnsbury Joinery works across the UK preserving historic sash windows, shutters and traditional timber joinery on listed buildings and period properties.

If you have original joinery that you’ve been told needs replacing, contact us for a heritage-led assessment before it is lost.

Preserve first. Repair wherever possible. Replace only when absolutely necessary.

03/09/2026

Vandalism of our collective streetscape by people who ostensibly have no sense of history or place.

01/09/2026

These photographs show the same elevation before and after our work.

Rather than introducing bulky modern replacement windows, we retained and fully restored the original box frames, then manufactured new hardwood Georgian sash windows to sit naturally within the building.

The sashes were glazed with some of the finest heritage glass available — 12mm slimline double-glazed units, comprising 4mm hand-drawn glass externally, a 4mm white warm-edge spacer and 4mm toughened glass internally.

Hand-drawn glass isn’t cheap, but on a period property the difference matters. Its gentle movement and imperfections recreate the character of traditional glass beautifully.

Everything was finished by hand, including the final painting.

24/08/2026

A piece of London’s heritage, standing proudly amongst the modern ugly skyline.

17/08/2026

Heritage sash windows for a listed property in Holland Park.

New sashes, traditionally made by Barnsbury Joinery and glazed with Pilkington OptiView™ glass, installed into the carefully restored original box frames.

The existing frames were retained and fully restored, with the new joinery made to respect the original proportions and detailing of the building. Everything was then finished by hand with a traditional painted finish.

A proper repair-led approach to historic windows — retaining as much of the original fabric as possible while quietly improving performance.

17/08/2026

For nearly four decades, our work has centred around one thing: preserving beautiful heritage properties through exceptional craftsmanship.

Today, The Barnsbury Group brings together six specialist heritage joinery businesses — five studios and one independent advisory practice — each with its own expertise, identity and purpose.

From London and Hertfordshire to Belfast and Melbourne, our teams share the same commitment to traditional methods, quality materials and doing what is right for each individual property.

We’ve created a new website to tell the story of the Group, introduce our businesses and help you find the right team for your property or project.

www.thebarnsburygroup.com

Five studios and one advisory practice. Second generation, family owned and run.

14/08/2026

A beautiful set of heritage slimline timber sash windows, manufactured and installed into the fully refurbished original box frames — retaining the proportions and character that make period properties so special.

Every detail has been considered:

• 22mm solid glazing bars for an authentic, refined profile

• Slimline double-glazed units for improved performance without bulky sight-lines

• Traditional putty finish to preserve the heritage appearance

• Hand painted for a high-quality, crafted finish

• Existing box frames fully refurbished, rather than unnecessarily replaced

The result is a window that looks completely at home in a period property while benefiting from modern glazing and careful timber craftsmanship.

11/08/2026

What actually makes a heritage sash window?

There is a growing difference between a timber sash window and a sash window that has been properly made for a period building.

This photograph is a good example.

The neighbouring properties have very similar architecture, but the treatment of the windows is quite different. The house with the green door has recently had replacement double-glazed sashes fitted. Next door, we are installing new slimline double-glazed sashes into the existing box frames.

Traditional sash windows were remarkably delicate pieces of joinery. Narrow glazing bars, fine meeting rails and restrained sightlines were all part of the original design. When those proportions become heavier, the character of the whole elevation changes.

Our new sashes are being made with 22mm solid timber glazing bars and 12mm slimline double-glazed units, allowing us to retain much more traditional proportions while introducing modern glazing.

The glazing bars are part of the sash itself — not planted or stuck onto the glass.

Externally, the glass is finished traditionally in putty, rather than with modern glazing beads. The sashes are fully hand painted, and particular attention is paid to the thickness of the meeting rails, to match with the original windows on the property.

When installing new box frames external cheeks should only be showing around 10–15mm from the concrete reveals. Once this becomes substantially wider, the sashes begin to look smaller and not a like for like replacement.

Compare that with many modern replacement “heritage” windows and you will often find chunky meeting rails, planted glazing bars and sprayed finishes. They may technically be timber sash windows, but visually they are quite different from the windows they are intended to replace.

For listed buildings and properties in conservation areas, this distinction matters.

The aim shouldn’t be to manufacture a modern window and add traditional-looking details afterwards. It should be to understand how the original window was constructed and proportioned, retain historic material wherever possible, and introduce improvements without unnecessarily changing its appearance.

That is why retaining a sound original box frame and making new sash windows to suit, can be such a good conservation approach.

Heritage joinery is not about making something look old. It is about understanding why the original looked right in the first place.

06/08/2026

We’re carrying out a full repair and restoration of the original timber sash windows on this beautiful Grade II listed property in Central London. Every repair is carefully undertaken to preserve the building’s historic character while improving performance and extending the life of the original joinery.

28/07/2026

These original sash windows on a listed London property had suffered from years of weathering, failed repairs and countless layers of paint. Rather than replace them, we carefully restored them using traditional joinery techniques, retaining as much of the original fabric as possible.

From intricate timber repairs to meticulous preparation and a fully hand-painted finish, every detail was completed with the respect that a heritage building deserves.

The result is a set of sash windows that look as they should have done decades ago—authentic, elegant and built to last.

At Barnsbury Joinery, preserving Britain’s architectural heritage isn’t just what we do. It’s what we’re passionate about.