Despite much debate, the sash window is now thought to have originated in Yorkshire, England. Sash windows were designed to allow a small gap for ventilation without letting in the rain, and were also less prone to rotting and distortion due to their enclosure within a box.

There were both functional and aesthetic advantages to sash windows, and many people chose to replace their old windows with them, while they were also popular in newly built homes. The window tax of the 18th and 19th centuries caused many of these fashionable windows to be taken out again, however. The Georgian sash window took on the modern double sash form. Blown glass with bull’s eye markings were the most common form, but still expensive. As better methods of making large panes were found, windows with six panels in each sash appeared, becoming characteristic of the Georgian sash window. They are considered characteristic of the Regency style.

The Victorians continued to favor sash windows, but added their own style with elaborate carved and molded ornamentation. Sash windows that are gradated in size, becoming smaller at the top of the building are indicative of the style of this time, as are large bay windows. Sashes with four panes of glass are another mark of the Victorian window. The wealthy often chose to have older styles of window added to their property to distinguish themselves from the increasingly common use of plate glass sash windows with the slimmer glazing bars that were once prized.

During the 20th century, sash windows have tended to disappear from our streets, being replaced by cheaper, mass-produced windows. Demand has recently grown again due to increased awareness of architectural history. These modern versions are produced with all the latest advances in technology, but retain the traditional style and elegance of older sashes, along with their functional design.

Bristol seems to be missing out on the slight resurgence and considerable promise in the office market sector that other cities across the UK are benefiting from. There has been a significantly smaller up-turn for both residential and office accommodation in the city than in many other conurbations.

One victim has been the building that made up the former Clerical Medical, which was intended to have a rebirth as an office centre on Temple Way at a cost of over £20 million, this is now been shelved awaiting some kind of improvement in the local economy and office market.

There are pockets of comfort for landlords such as the Courage brewery, which is located across from Castle Park. This has been fully restructured and refurbished into a multi-purpose facility, which is home to over 300 apartments as well as a shopping area and a significant amount of office units.

When completely finished the development will be home to in excess of 3200 office workers, and around 1100 apartment dwellers. Over at the six-storey Bridgewater House, work has just begun on 112,000 ft. of desk space on the existing office development site; the backers are hoping to see completion sometime in the summer of 2011.

Despite the doom and gloom in the local office market the developers of this unit believe it to be the largest office construction being built ‘on-spec’ outside of the capital. HDG Mansur spokesman Chris Read who is heading up this new Bridgewater office development believes that it is an important message to the city and to the country that Bristol is about to join other areas in an office space resurgence.