Charles Brooking
Major rescue at White Lodge,
Bushy Park and Glazing Bars
Charles Brooking is a fascinating and knowledgeable collector of architectural detail, The Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail, and as Surveyors we find his lifelong quest to collect British building details unique, informative and valuable and a collection that must be kept intact for years to come. If you need help and advice with regard to building surveys, structural surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects report, dilapidations or any other property matters please free phone 0800 298 5424.
The following is one of a series of interviews with Charles Brooking, Historic and Listed Buildings Detail Expert, The Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail and a Surveyor where we have recorded his comments and various aspects that have affected windows and doors and other collectibles. The interviews outline how his collection started and built over the years and gives an insight into the amazing architectural features housed in his fine collection.
Surveyor: Did you rescue any architectural details from White Lodge, Bushy Park?
Charles Brooking: Yes, White Lodge, Bushy Park was a villa of about 1740. I was called in by the Historic Royal Palaces in the restoration. They gave me some 1740's sash windows which were very interesting with wide glazing bars and wooden pulleys.
Rescue defined
Charles Brooking defines a rescue as saving a window or door or staircase that would be doomed.
Charles Brooking was a pioneer in the rescue of architectural detailing as many years ago it was very much considered a strange and an unusual past time to want to rescue old parts of buildings with everything new and shiny being so important.
Surveyor: What is a wide glazing bar?
Charles Brooking : Well it's between two inches and an inch and a half. They were the early Georgian.
Surveyor: So you'd typically expect what, a quarter of an inch or half?
Charles Brooking : Well I suppose they can be as thin as almost half an inch or just over that but by the late 17th century onwards up until the 1740's they were quite heavy and thin back to front, but wide to give them strength. The surface was flat on the outside so it was neat I suppose. The glazing bars I rescued were 1740's, which were the widest but still in that tradition. I also rescued other bits of moulding and detailing. That was Bushy Park.
If you found this article on The Brooking Collection of Architectural Detail interesting you may also be interested in the following articles on our website:
Major rescue at St Luke's Hospital, Chelsea
Builders, building problems and roofs and how a Surveyor can help
Can you trust a Surveyors Valuation?
Cracking and movement information
References:
TheBrookingCollection.com DartfordArchive.org.uk IHBC.org.uk ProjectBook.co.uk
Independent Surveyors
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Commercial Property Surveyors
If you have a commercial property, be it leasehold or freehold, then you may wish to look at our Dilapidations Website at www.DilapsHelp.com and for Disputes go to our Disputes Help site www.DisputesHelp.com. We hope you found the article of use and if you have any experiences that you feel should be added to this article that would benefit others, or you feel that some of the information that we have put is wrong then please do not hesitate to contact us (we are only human). The contents of the website are for general information only and is not intended to be relied upon for specific or general decisions. Appropriate independent professional advice should be paid for before making such a decision. All rights are reserved the contents of the website are not to be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or part without the express written permission of buildingsurveyquote.co.uk