GEORGIAN 1714 - 1837

Windows

Windows in eighteenth-century Irish buildings were an ordered grid on a well proportioned facade; rectangles which formed part of the classically inspired geometric design. Sliding sash windows were in use in Ireland from 1680. At first each sash had six, nine or twelve small panes, with thick glazing bars, set forward in the wall with visible frames.

In 1730 an act of Parliament stated that windows should be set back the width of one brick into the vertical side of the opening. Later in the century glazing bars became narrower and panes became larger which, with less visible frames, gave a more refined appearance to the buildings. In the nineteenth century marginal glazing became popular.

The Window Tax, in force in England from 1695, was introduced to Ireland in 1799. ‘It undoubtedly affected the purse of the property-holder, but there is not much evidence that fewer windows were inserted (or windows blocked up) to lessen liability. Sometimes blind windows were inserted to suit the overall appearance where it would be inconvenient to have a window on the inside. The Window Tax was repealed in 1851 after years of lobbying.’ [Roche, N. The Legacy of Light a history of Irish windows]