Sash windows in Hassocks for the railway villas
Stonepound, Keymer Road, Parklands Road and the streets by the station
Sashes for the railway villas
When Hassocks Gate station opened in 1841 the village barely existed. The houses that followed, around Stonepound, along Keymer Road and on Woodfield Road beside the line, had sliding sashes from the start; the tall openings on the bigger villas still show it.
The parish's townscape appraisal picks out the decorative timber and coloured glass around the doors on Stanford Avenue, and the gold-brick terraces with sash bays on Parklands Road. On houses like these a casement in a sash opening is the change that jars most.
Your three sash choices in Hassocks
uPVC sliding sash, white
The usual choice for an unlisted Victorian house in Hassocks. Both sashes slide, the meeting rail lines up with the old one, and there is nothing to paint.
uPVC sliding sash, colour or woodgrain
Cream, grey or a woodgrain finish for houses where bright white looks too new against old brick. The profile is the same; only the finish changes.
Timber box sash
Timber sash from £2,650 installed. We suggest timber only where planning calls for it, mainly listed houses. Expect the first repaint around three years after fitting; that job is yours, not the installer's.
Glazing bars and the details that matter
Most Hassocks villas have sashes split two-over-two, or undivided panes top and bottom. Earlier houses, and the oldest cottages in Keymer, can be six-over-six. Matching the original bar pattern matters more than the material. Depending on the building (listed, conservation area, Article 4), there can be rules on the glass you're allowed and on the exact glazing-bar layout. Check with the council; Hassocks Windows can help with that process.
First-floor sashes go in from a mobile tower in almost every Hassocks street. Where a tower is needed, this may add around £150, added to the job total. Only over something like a basement light well, with nowhere for a tower to stand, does scaffold come in.
A timber box sash is fitted from inside by two people, so the room needs clearing back from the window. A uPVC sash goes in the same way, usually in about an hour or two per window.
What the village design statement means for a sash
The Hassocks Village Design Statement singles out two faults in replacement windows on older houses: frames with wide, heavy sections over a thin sill, and glazing bars that look stuck on. On a Victorian villa both are easy to avoid if you know to ask.
- Choose a sash with a deep bottom rail and a slim meeting rail, so the proportions follow the old timber one.
- Ask for run-through horns on the top sash if the originals had them; most of the villas around Stonepound did.
- Where the house had bars, have them applied on the outer and inner surfaces with a spacer lined up inside the sealed unit, so each bar throws a shadow.
- Keep the sill deep. A replacement sill can be made to match the old stone or timber sill depth.
Colour matters too. The statement advises against white uPVC on pre-war houses, and on the soft red brick and gold brick of Parklands Road a cream or pale grey sash often looks more settled.
Living beside the railway
Woodfield Road and several of the villa streets run right alongside the Brighton main line, and the station still sees a steady stream of trains from early morning. Old sashes rattle and let the noise straight in. A new sliding sash seals on brush pile all round, and you can choose laminated acoustic glass for the rooms that face the track. It is worth paying for in a bedroom; less so in a hall or landing.
Ventilation and safety
A sash already ventilates well when it is opened top and bottom, but Building Regulations still apply. Where the old sashes had trickle vents, the replacements need vents no smaller. Many uPVC sashes hide the vent in the top of the frame, where it is hardly seen. Ground-floor sashes beside a front door, and any glass low down in a bay, need safety glass, and upstairs bedrooms need a window large enough to escape through in a fire. A sash can be made with tilt-in sashes for cleaning, which also helps here.
Sash window questions
Can I have uPVC sashes on a Victorian house in Hassocks?
Usually yes. Central Hassocks has no conservation area, so on an unlisted house a sliding sash that looks like the old one needs no application. Listed houses are different and normally need timber.
Do uPVC sashes slide like the originals?
Yes. Both sashes slide on concealed balances instead of weights and cords, and most also tilt towards you, which makes cleaning the outside a job you can do indoors.
How long does it take to fit a sash window?
A uPVC sash usually takes an hour or two per window once the old frame is out. Timber box sashes take longer and are fitted from inside by two people.
Sash windows, priced properly
A short call is enough to tell you which kind of sash suits your house and roughly what a whole set costs.