To find replacing Victorian stained glass windows with PVC double glazing a terrible shame?

[Nancery]

Near me is a house with beautiful leaded and stained glass windows. In perfect condition (the previous owners used them as a major selling point.)

These windows are now smashed and in a skip and a plastic double glazed ones are being put in their place. I asked if I could have the remaining two when they took them out but was told no as 'they could end up on EBay.' (I wasn't planning on this at all, I just didn't want them broken and discarded like the others.)

AIBU to think this is such a shame?

I don't really see why anybody should have to keep their house looking a certain way in order to keep with the style of the neighbours, if it's inconvenient to them to do so.

Very Hot Fuzz, "It's hardly in keeping with the village's rustic aestethic."

Houses need to be lived in, not just displayed.

Iffy2014

I'm less concerned with the overall style of the neighbourhood issue (although I do think that the requirement that new builds be sympathetic if near other houses is a good one to have) than with the loss of something that is basically a historical artefact. Not to mention that I would imagine that sympathetically retained period features (e.g. with encapsulating) could increase the selling price of the house? But maybe I'm going on the incorrect assumption that most people are like myself and would pay much more for a beautiful old house than a new / 'improved' one.

I had these and it was bloody FREEZING. Just could not get the house to warm up; it was miserable, even though it looked lovely from the outside. So I can understand replacing them. It is a shame to not find a good home for the old windows though; even using the glass to create an artwork would be something.

Yanbu

Our house has pvc windows apart from a huge Victorian sash window in the dining room which was one of the reasons why we bought it. Twas probably the only original feature left in and we are now in the process of replacing all the other windows.

Incidentally, in the house we sold, we had restored and sourced all the old cast iron fire surrounds only for the chap who bought it to rip them out and plaster over them.Not my taste, but then I don't live there anymore.

Spurred on by this thread, I think I've found a local company who offer encapsulation. I hope it's not extortionate!

Wooden double glazed sashes are freely available. Yes they are significantly more ££ than plastic but I'd rather replace window by window over a period of years, rather than doing them all at once with one of this bogof plastic companies.

We have listed tenement which has been absolutely destroyed internally by the landlord we bought it from.

We are still finding alcoves etc behind the plaster board. An original parquet floor under carpet which has had paint splashed a over it and deep grooves scarring it where they put up scaffolding to plaster over the ceiling cornice.

Wow - replacing Victorian leaded with PVC should be made illegal (it actually is against a lot of building regs so fell free to try to shop them to the council.

uPVC goes alongside pebble dash as something I could not ever live with. not actually true as I've lived in houses with both, but you know what I mean

We have enormous sashes which cost £5000 to replace/ refurbish!

YABU the Victorians quite happily destroyed older properties when they wanted something newer in the same place. This is just progress.

The local Victorian preservation society got all whiney arsed when they heard that the Victorian lean-to extension was being removed from a 12th Century church. When the structure was removed it was found that the Victorian builders had smashed their way through 12th century skeletons to get their shack in the right place.

If the Victorians had had UPVC they would have used it.

It isn't only Victorian houses that are being vandalised, lovely 1930's semis regularly have the soul ripped out of them too.

I'm not sentimental about replacing wood with UPVC - the Victorians were all for innovation and improving things and the lack of maintenance for UPVC windows plus the benefits of double glazing fit with that imo. Our 1930s house has the leaded lights encapsulated in the double glazing - keeps the character and an original feature with the benefits of double glazing.

You often see 1930s leaded glass in the windows of Victorian houses and it's all wrong to my mind!

GnomeDePlume - x post; just what I was thinking.

The Victorians would also think we were crazy putting wood burning stoves in and open fires when you can have clean, no work gas and electric heating!

This has made me very

I just hate the idea of something beautiful like that being destroyed. Even if the buyers don't want them, somebody would, so why do this? They could've even made a few quid getting them a new home.

We replaced two PVC monstrosities with double-glazed wooden sashes when we moved in - luckily the sash frames were still intact. The stained glass has gone from our inside front door, although the door itself is original. We're going to get it replaced one day when we have some cash - our kind neighbours in the other half of the semi will let us take photos of theirs so we can get it copied!

Nancery, please do what InterestedIgnoramus suggests and check if the building is listed or in a conservation area.

You can check if the house is listed on the English Heritage National Heritage List online database and your council will have details of conservation areas on it's website.

If so then double check if they have planning permission (again your local authority website will have all the planning applications online, if you are not sure what your planning authority is you can find it here) and, if not drop, the authority a line reporting a possible planning violation.

All the checking is online so you don't have to talk to anyone and if you find information that suggests the owners are violating planning then your complaint will be treated confidentially.

Windows are a vital part of a building’s character and a building's character has a huge impact on the neighbourhood. You are not being unreasonable to think this is a shame so please please please double check if they have the right to do this and report them if not.

Conservation area may be no help, we're in one but no restrictions on windows, satellite dishes etc at all. Mind you that's not what I tell the people trying to sell windows that keep ringing me up.

Good point WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes, I forgot about that. Conservation Areas on their own don't automatically limit what people can do with their houses. It's only if the planning authority has issued an Article 4 Direction (which restricts development) for the area as well. Again the information for this should be available on your planning authority website.

Not so much that they have to replace something old for practical reasons (though the windows were built to last). But that modern things are so damn ugly. Buildings, house stuff, clothes, etc... And no longer built to last...

I hate UPVC windows too and it really angers me when people buy a period property and then rip out all the features to 'modernise' the place! If you want at 20thC box house that look like all the others then don't buy a period property I say.
I hate how our town has changed over the last 20yrs in the name of modernisation, it used to have a lovely feel to it but now it's starting to look like a lego village. All the lovely old pubs and detached properties have been replaced with brightly coloured flats. It's heartbreaking, once these things have gone there's no going back.
Our house was built in 1900 and we have put in secondary glazing to insulate the windows and they are perfectly warm and draught free.
YANBU

My experience growing up is that period windows are grand in their way, but not necessarily great to live with. Ours were attractive, but wooden and warped. The house was freezing summer and winter, and the poor fit was a security issue.

Lately, my parents have disgracefully replaced with triple glazed doors and windows with five point locks. The house is warm, quiet and secure. Since the windows aren't now warped, they've been able to fit a monitored security alarm.

It's a massive change for them.

YANBU, what a shame. We have ripped the uPVCs out of our Victorian house and put wooden sash windows back in. It cost a fortune and sometimes I wonder if some pleb will buy the place in the future and put uPVC windows back in !

Our Victorian house came with UPVC windows already installed, I have to say they are warm and cosy and very practical. OTOH my grandparents lived in a 1920s house until about 12 years ago which still had the original wooden frames, solid oak, perfect condition, no stained glass I don't think but great character in the original panes which all had that slightly warped look where the glass has gradually run downwards, they were lovely. It had a lot of original features (they lived in it from new), bet it hasn't now. Mind you it was bloody freezing with no central heating.

I can see both sides of this argument, but totally agree that trashing them was a travesty.

off topic - my mum had her Victorian French window replaced recently which upset my brother (family home tho we've long since moved out!) - upon replacing it though they found a newspaper from 1940s so it wasn't the Victorian real article after all!

Secondary glazing can be ok (its in some of their house) but the stained glass can be very iffy as with slammed front doors it breaks/broke easily. Indeed we have a few spare panels that were supposedly to replace any damaged ones.

Sorry Whoknows...but the glass has gradually run downwards is a bit of a myth