Steel window specialists from Associated Steel Window Services (ASWS) have helped to conserve Brooklands Museum in Surrey.
The windows are early ‘standard casement’ or F7 type frames and had suffered from the exposed location on what was an airfield and aircraft factory during the second world war.
“For this project we were asked to remove elements from an upper storey elevation to provide access for a hoist or chute, and store the frames safely at our secure facility until the client was ready for it to be reinstalled at the end of the work,” explained Kris Bennell, director of ASWS. A team from London-based ITC Concepts conducted the construction work on behalf of the trust that runs the site.
“We took all the elements of the old first floor steel screen back to our workshops in London where they were grit-blasted, repaired and completely redecorated before being putty-glazed to match the rest of the surrounding frames. They were reinstalled when ITC had completed all its refurbishment work.
“In between this time, our team spent some weeks on site conserving the half dozen large F7 windows there. These windows were also removed, blasted and fully redecorated and reglazed on site, while the museum and café remained open to the public.”
Shane Allen, site manager for ITC Concepts, added: “I hadn’t worked with ASWS before, but taking that window out to facilitate the access we needed was an ideal solution in the circumstances, while their restoration work carried out on the ground floor windows in the café also went very well.”
ASWS is a long-established member of the Steel Window Association. The team specialises in the repair of metal windows, from the earliest wrought iron examples through to contemporary curtain walling. The company also maintains high stock of ironmongery and metal frame components, to assist in restoration work. For more information about the museum, visit its dedicated website.
