Period house fittings from Knobs and Knockers

Period Fittings From early Handmade wooden and iron Medieval fittings, through Queen Anne, Georgian and Victorian brass period ironmongery, Hinges & Brackets are able to supply even modern contemporary pieces for your period property.

We have an excellent display at the National Homebuilding and Renovating Exhibition aka Buildstore at Swindon showing five ages of Period Ironmongery.

As a guide appropriate fittings for Medieval properties would be Handmade Blacksmith hinges and thumblatches or wooden snecks and garnets.

In Tudor times in England, and before, all handles, latches and hinges would have been hand made by a local blacksmith. Only large homes, castles, churches and civic buildings would use well made fancy decorative wrought iron fittings and sometimes brass or even silver fittings.

The Industrial revolution in England led to an explosion in the mass production of items in cast iron. The patterns of blacksmith hinges and latches, handles and knobs, were simply copied in the new mass medium of iron .

The improvements and regulation of architectural style in the reigns of Queen Anne and subsequent King Georges, saw the Paladian rule of proportionality in design throughout the Georgian Window furniture meant sash window fasteners, sash lifts, and door handles were generally brass knobs designed to work rim locks and latches face fixed to doors.

Regency under the auspices of the Prince Regent saw a brief flirtation with the grander and fancier Baroque influenced designs in beaded Brass and sometimes gold.

The prosperous Victorian era saw the increased use of mortice locks and latches cut into the door to replace the coarse rim fitting, and the greater use of Victorian styled lever handles of scroll and plain design.. Windows saw the advent of casements and so casement fasteners and stays,.

At the turn of the century in the Edwardian era there was a rediscovery of simple wooden door knobs and fittings under the revivalist Arts & Crafts movement.

Soon followed in the early 20th century by handles in bright polished Chrome and Bakelite to suit the Art Deco fashion of angular design.

Modern contemporary door furniture has seen traditional lever furniture in brass giving way to tubular levers on round backplates in Stainless steel and chromes of increasingly daring design for the English palate