How privileged are we to be living in such a lovely area of a beautiful county in the West of England?

And – those of us who are lucky enough, have the opportunity to consider buying a piece of British Heritage – a Listed House or an apartment within a Listed Building.  There are a great many Listed Buildings throughout this country and particularly in Devon.

The first thing I did, when buying a flat within a Listed Building in the lovely seaside town of Teignmouth, was to remove the ugly Secondary Glazing in front of each of the five gorgeous floor to ceiling sash windows – three of which face East overlooking Lyme Bay.

Oh my goodness, the following winter was chilly!  A Beast from the East hammered the windows which shook and trembled in their efforts to protect my home from the elements!

I discussed this problem with my carpenter brother-in-law who valiantly defended the craftsmen who installed the windows, over a 100 years ago, during the construction of the original very grand seaside home consisting of five floors, including the basement.

The wood used to construct the multi paned windows would have been oak, Baltic pine or mahogany that had been naturally seasoned over a period of up to 10 years.  Carpenters would specialise in sash window construction and would often leave their names carved in the wood beneath the trap door in the groove, where the sash frames run, for access to the weights.

The best option will normally be to refurbish original windows.  Any newly constructed windows will come with a huge price tag and will be far inferior to the original windows made from wood that would never be used today.

For my windows the immediate problem was to cure the draughts – I googled the problem and found a specialist who was able to:

• Refurbish the windows to open, close and slide properly
• Replace sash cords and pulleys and to balance correctly
• Attach draught proofing to reduce rattles and to cut down noise and traffic grime

For further insulation I decided to add floor to ceiling insulated curtains to cover the windows at night – it was like attaching duvets to the windows to create a very snug interior during the winter evenings/nights.

Any replacement windows in a Listed Building must involve a Listed Building Planning Application but window “repairs” are exempt.  It is essential to bear in mind that under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, it is a criminal offence to carry out or cause to be carried out any works to alter a listed building in any manner which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest.

A few years ago I acted in the purchase of a Listed Building.  The property was not especially expensive and required complete refurbishment.  Despite my specific written advice, the new owner replaced every single window with Upvc units.  I’m afraid my client’s neighbours reported him to the local authority who imposed an enforcement notice on the property.  The new owner was forced to send all of the brand-new double-glazed units to re-cycling and, at great expense, to instruct a carpenter to create bespoke windows in the exact style as the original windows.

I am passionate about preserving our heritage for future generations so please watch this space for future articles relating to Listed Buildings.

For further information, please contact Suzanne Millage on 01392 260139 or email suzannemillage@wbw.co.uk.

WBW Solicitors has offices in Axminster, Bovey Tracey, Brixham, Chard, Exeter, Exmouth, Honiton, Launceston, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Seaton, Sidmouth, and Torquay.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.