{"id":12531,"date":"2022-07-05T11:00:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T09:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=32426"},"modified":"2022-07-05T11:13:10","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T09:13:10","slug":"a-history-of-crittall-windows","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-history-of-crittall-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"A history of Crittall windows"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Molly Malsom\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 05 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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There\u2019s no doubt Crittall is having a moment \u2013 and has been for a while. If your home doesn\u2019t feature the sleek, usually black, steel windows, famed for their \u2018boxed\u2019 frames, then, chances are, they appear in the image in your head of your dream home. When it comes to interiors, they\u2019re the epitome of cool.<\/p>\n

Over the last decade they\u2019ve gained ubiquity in the style ranks, joining the likes of cast-iron baths, waterfall showers, range cookers<\/a> and kitchen islands at the top of people\u2019s wishlists. The look has filtered down to accessories, too \u2013 so if your budget doesn\u2019t allow, you can opt for a Crittall-style shower screen or mirror.<\/p>\n

As Kate Watson-Smyth says, \u2018they fit with any style of house, adding character to everything from classic Georgian<\/a> to a modern boxy extension. They\u2019re trend proof.\u2019 This is remarkable, considering the brand was born in the late 19th century. Not only did the company pioneer the large-scale production of engineered steel windows but it helped facilitate entire architectural movements<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

How Crittall began<\/h2>\n
In 1849, Francis Berrington Crittall took over an ironmonger\u2019s in Braintree, Essex, and set up home above the shop with his new bride, Fanny Godfrey. Ten children followed, and after Francis\u2019s death in 1879, eldest son Richard inherited the business, handing over to Francis Jr two years later.<\/p>\n
He began by diversifying the manufacturing side, directing his small team of craftsmen to make everything from bicycles<\/a> to bridges, street lighting to drainage. Bolstered by success \u2013 the firm now boasted an order book stretching all the way to Liverpool \u2013 in 1884 Francis began experimenting with the product that would light up the world.<\/p>\n

Slender Frames<\/h2>\n
Metal windows had been around since the mid 16th century, but were both heavy to operate and, being individually crafted, time-consuming to manufacture. Crittall\u2019s lighter, slender frames proved so popular that, within a decade, a new factory had been built and the 11-strong workforce inherited by Francis had grown to 60; come the end of the Great War, the number would be 500.<\/p>\n
There were two key reasons for the growth. In 1907, Crittall bought the Fenestra joint patent from the D\u00fcsseldorf company of the same name, enabling both increased production and slimmer glazing bars. That same year, the firm established its first overseas factory in Detroit, where their wares helped illuminate the factories of the nascent car industry.<\/p>\n
Operations in numerous countries would follow, as modern architects such as Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright helped popularise the use of large steel-framed windows. Notable adoptees of Crittall\u2019s output would include Yale and Princeton Universities, The Big Ben Tower in London, some parts of The Houses of Parliament and, notably, RMS Titanic.<\/p>\n
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