Silkstone · S75
Crittall glazing in Silkstone, Barnsley
Around All Saints Silkstone, Silkstone still carries a lot of original glazing — mullions and small-pane casements. Where those are 1920s–1960s, and again in modern conversions the failure mode is predictable: steel conducts heat straight through the frame, so the frame itself is the cold bridge, not just the glass. original Crittall units are increasingly valued and often retained deliberately; a room-side pane lets you keep the look and fix the performance Owners here are usually working under consent constraints, so the specification has to satisfy a conservation officer before it satisfies a decibel target. Silkstone is about 4 miles from central Barnsley, so a survey here is a short run for our team off the M1 J37 / J38.
Listed-building drawings and specifications are prepared free with the quote where consent is needed.
Quotes are written, itemised per opening, and hold for 60 days.
Measured performance figures come from our own post-install testing, not manufacturer maximums.
We survey with a sound level meter where noise is the driver, so the target is a number rather than an impression.
Local conditions we design around
On a steel window the frame can lose more heat than the glass; that is why replacing the glass alone rarely fixes a Crittall's condensation.
Steel frames deflect under wind load on exposed elevations, and a sealed room-side pane removes the whistle that causes.
Silkstone stock is 17th- and 18th-century stone cottages and the prevailing glazing is mullions and small-pane casements, which is why crittall glazing comes up here so often.
Steel frames rarely sit true, so every opening is templated individually rather than batched.
Silkstone is a conservation area: original Crittall units are increasingly valued and often retained deliberately; a room-side pane lets you keep the look and fix the performance.
The technical answer
| Window type | slim galvanised or painted steel frames with small rectangular panes and thin glazing bars (1920s–1960s, and again in modern conversions) |
|---|---|
| Underlying problem | steel conducts heat straight through the frame, so the frame itself is the cold bridge, not just the glass |
| System we fit | slim-profile hinged or sliding units set to preserve the grid pattern |
| Glass specification | Low-E glass with a wide cavity, because the frame conduction dominates the heat loss |
| Measurement | steel frames rarely sit true, so every opening is templated individually rather than batched |
| Heritage position | original Crittall units are increasingly valued and often retained deliberately; a room-side pane lets you keep the look and fix the performance |
Local reference points
- Area
- Silkstone (S75)
- Town
- Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Housing era
- 17th- and 18th-century stone cottages
- Typical windows
- mullions and small-pane casements
- Landmark
- All Saints Silkstone
- Conservation area
- Yes — room-side install standard
- Window style
- Crittall & Steel Windows
- Period
- 1920s–1960s, and again in modern conversions
The practical side
- Step 1
Send a photo of the window — with slim galvanised or painted steel frames with small rectangular panes and thin glazing bars we can usually tell you the likely system before we visit.
- Step 2
Survey in Silkstone: steel frames rarely sit true, so every opening is templated individually rather than batched.
- Step 3
Manufacture to the templated sizes with your chosen finish.
- Step 4
Room-side install with no external access and no alteration to the original frame.
Recent installs nearby
Cawthorne conservation cottage
Stone-mullioned casements retained with room-side hinged secondary units — listed-building consent achieved without alteration.
Nether Edge Grade II sash retrofit
Six original box sashes fitted with balanced vertical secondary sliders — full listed-building consent secured in six weeks.
Ecclesall Road bay-window sound retrofit
Three-panel horizontal sliders across a 3.2 m Edwardian bay — Rw measured at 47 dB post-install.
Other window types in Silkstone
Common questions
Why do my Crittall windows run with water?
Because the steel frame conducts heat out and drops well below room dew point. The water forms on the frame as much as the glass, which is why re-glazing alone does not solve it.
Will I lose the Crittall look?
No — the original stays in place and visible, and we align the secondary sightlines with the existing bars so the grid still reads.
Can you fit to rusted or distorted steel frames?
We fix to the reveal, not to the steel, so frame condition does not limit the install. We will flag any frame that needs remedial work first.
Will the conservation officer accept this?
Room-side secondary glazing is the standard recommendation in Historic England guidance because it is reversible and invisible externally. We supply the drawings with the quote.
Is anything fixed into the original joinery?
No. We fix into the reveal or a timber subframe, never the historic sash or casement itself, so the install fully reverses.
Consent-ready specification
We prepare the drawings and product data your conservation officer will ask for, free with the quote. Send a photo of the crittall glazing — with slim galvanised or painted steel frames with small rectangular panes and thin glazing bars in a 17th- and 18th-century stone cottages Silkstone property we can usually spec it before we visit.
Crittall glazing in Silkstone — the short version
Steel conducts heat straight through the frame, so the frame itself is the cold bridge, not just the glass. We fit slim-profile hinged or sliding units set to preserve the grid pattern with Low-E glass with a wide cavity, because the frame conduction dominates the heat loss, templated to your opening. The cold-bridging frame is taken out of contact with room air, which is what stops the running condensation these windows are notorious for.