Bespoke Timber Sash Window Replacement in Bath
Bath presents a particular challenge for sash window work — and a particular opportunity. The city has one of the highest concentrations of period properties in England, most of them within designated conservation areas or listed in their own right, and most of them built with timber sash windows that were designed to be part of the architecture, not simply fitted into it.
Artisawn manufactures and installs new bespoke timber sash windows for Bath properties from our workshop in Pylle, Somerset — 50 minutes from the city centre. We work across Bath's Georgian terraces, Victorian suburbs and surrounding villages, producing windows that are made to the correct proportions and profiles for each individual property and accepted by BANES conservation officers.
Why Bath Sash Window Work Requires a Specialist
Bath is not a typical job for a general window company. The majority of the city and its surrounding neighbourhoods sit within the Bath World Heritage Site, and a large proportion of individual properties are listed — predominantly Grade II, with significant Grade I and Grade II* stock around the city centre, Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Estate.
This means that window work in Bath carries planning implications that simply do not apply elsewhere. BANES operates one of the more rigorous conservation regimes in the South West. Conservation officers are active, enforcement is real, and homeowners who fit the wrong windows — proportions slightly off, glazing bars too thick, frames too deep in the reveal — can find themselves in difficulty.
We understand Bath's conservation requirements thoroughly because we work in the city regularly. We know what BANES officers accept and what they push back on. We design our windows from the outset to meet those requirements — which means our clients do not face problems after installation.
Bath Property Types — Getting the Window Right
Bath's housing stock spans several distinct architectural periods, each with its own sash window conventions. Getting a new window right in Bath means understanding which period your property belongs to and what the correct proportions, profiles and glazing arrangements are for that period.
Georgian Bath — pre-1830
The core of Bath — the streets laid out by John Wood the Elder and Younger, Wood Street, Gay Street, the Circus, Royal Crescent, Brock Street, and the Pulteney Estate — is predominantly Georgian. Georgian sash windows are characterised by very slender glazing bars, six-over-six or six-over-nine pane arrangements, minimal ovolo moulding profiles, and relatively shallow box frames set well back in the reveal. The proportions are precise and the sight lines very fine. Getting these wrong is immediately visible. We reproduce Georgian profiles accurately from surviving original windows and from period reference.
Regency and early Victorian Bath — 1820–1860
The streets around Bathwick, Widcombe and the southern slopes of the city — Sydney Place, Darlington Street, Bloomfield Road — are predominantly Regency and early Victorian. Windows from this period typically have slightly wider glazing bars than pure Georgian, two-over-two or four-over-four pane arrangements, and begin to show the heavier proportions that characterise the full Victorian period. Box frames are slightly more substantial.
Victorian Bath — 1860–1900
The Victorian suburbs — Oldfield Park, Bear Flat, Twerton, parts of Weston — were built with the heavier sash window conventions of the later nineteenth century. Four-over-four pane arrangements with lamb's tongue or ovolo glazing bars, more substantial bottom rails, and deeper box frames are typical. These are the windows most commonly found in need of repair or replacement and the period we work on most frequently across Bath.
Edwardian Bath and surrounding villages
The later suburbs and surrounding villages — Bathampton, Bathford, Batheaston, Combe Down, parts of Weston — include a mix of Edwardian and Arts and Crafts influenced properties, sometimes with casement windows alongside sashes, and occasionally with leaded lights. We work on all of these property types and can advise on the correct window style for your specific building.
Planning and Conservation in Bath — What You Need to Know
Bath's planning framework for window work is one of the most detailed in England. Before any work begins, it is worth understanding your position.
Listed buildings
If your property is listed — which covers the majority of Bath city centre and a significant proportion of the surrounding streets — listed building consent is required for any window replacement, regardless of whether the replacement matches the original. This is not a technicality that can be ignored. Carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building is a criminal offence and can result in enforcement requiring reinstatement at your cost.
We can assist with listed building consent applications for window replacement in Bath. We provide condition reports, scaled drawings, specification statements and photographs in the format required by BANES. Where we carry out repair rather than replacement — which is our preferred approach where the original windows are salvageable — consent is generally not required.
Conservation areas
Bath has over 30 designated conservation areas. Within these areas, permitted development rights for window replacement are restricted. Prior notification or full planning permission may be required, particularly where the replacement involves a change of material or a significant change in appearance. Changing from timber to uPVC requires planning permission and will almost certainly be refused in Bath. Changing from uPVC back to timber is generally welcomed.
The World Heritage Site buffer zone
Beyond the listed buildings and conservation areas, Bath's World Heritage Site designation creates an additional layer of planning consideration for development that might affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the site. For most domestic window replacement this is a secondary consideration — the listed building and conservation area designations are the primary framework — but it reinforces the importance of doing window work correctly in Bath.
What We Do in Bath
New box frame sash windows
Where original frames are beyond repair or where previous replacements need removing, we manufacture complete new timber box frames for Bath properties. Every window is made to match the proportions, moulding profiles and glazing bar arrangements of the original — whether Georgian six-over-six, Victorian four-over-four or anything between. Full detail on our manufacturing process and glazing options is on our new sash windows page.
Replacement sashes for existing box frames
Where original Bath box frames remain structurally sound, manufacturing new double glazed sashes to fit the existing boxes is the most sympathetic and cost-effective approach — and the one most likely to be accepted by BANES without requiring consent. We retain the original frames, fit new double glazed sashes balanced against the original weights, and apply full draught proofing. The result is a window that performs significantly better while looking authentic.
Removing uPVC from Bath period properties
We remove uPVC sash windows from Bath properties and replace them with correctly proportioned timber box frames. This is one of the most common enquiries we receive from Bath homeowners — and often the most visible transformation. uPVC sash windows rarely suit Bath's architecture, the proportions are almost always wrong, and in many parts of the city they represent an unauthorised change that leaves the property's planning history complicated. We resolve all of this cleanly.
Repairs, overhauls and draught proofing
Not every Bath sash window needs replacing. We carry out full overhauls, timber repairs, sash cord replacement and draught proofing across the city. For listed properties in particular, repair and conservation is the appropriate first response — and in our experience the majority of original Bath sash windows, however neglected they appear, are repairable.
Based 50 Minutes From Bath
Our workshop is in Pylle, near Shepton Mallet — 50 minutes from Bath city centre via the A367. There is no additional travel charge for Bath projects and no minimum order. We visit Bath regularly for surveys and installations and can typically arrange a survey within one to two weeks of an enquiry.
Being workshop-based in Somerset rather than Bath itself means our overheads are lower than city-based competitors — and that is reflected in our pricing. You get a specialist service without a city premium.
Questions Specific to Bath
My Bath property is listed — do I need consent to replace the sash windows?
Yes. Listed building consent is required for any window replacement in a listed property, regardless of whether the replacement matches the original. We can assist with the consent application — providing condition reports, drawings and a specification statement in the format BANES requires. Contact us early in the process and we will advise on the most straightforward route to consent.
BANES have told me my uPVC windows need replacing — can you help?
Yes — this is exactly the situation we deal with regularly. Whether you have received a planning enforcement notice or simply want to resolve an existing unauthorised change before selling, we can replace uPVC sash windows with correctly proportioned timber box frames that will satisfy BANES conservation requirements. We can liaise directly with the conservation officer if that is helpful.
Can you match the glazing bars on my Georgian Bath townhouse?
Yes. Georgian glazing bars are among the finest and most demanding profiles to reproduce accurately — typically with a small ovolo or lamb's tongue moulding on a very shallow section. We have the tooling and the experience to reproduce these accurately. Where original windows survive elsewhere on the building or in the terrace, we work from those directly.
Do you work in the villages around Bath?
Yes — Bathampton, Bathford, Batheaston, Combe Down, Monkton Combe, Freshford, Limpley Stoke, Midford and the wider BANES area are all within our standard service area. Many of these villages have their own conservation area designations and listed building stock. There is no additional travel charge.
Get in Touch — New Sash Windows Bath
If you own a period property in Bath or North East Somerset and want to discuss new sash windows, a repair, or the removal of uPVC replacements, call us on 07447 592226 or email info@artisawn.co.uk. We visit Bath regularly and aim to arrange surveys within one to two weeks.
Free survey. Fixed written quotations. No sales pressure.
Artisawn. Workshop in Pylle, Somerset — 50 minutes from Bath. Serving Bath, North East Somerset and the surrounding villages.