Herbert Collins 1885-1975 was a British architect.
He designed many suburban developments in Southampton primarily but not exclusively around the Highfield and Basset Green area of Southampton.
Distinctive in their design and built during the 1920s and 1930s. Today their uniqueness is closely guarded with no deviation from the original design allowed and quite rightly so.
There are some subtle but distinctive features from a joiner’s perspective within the design of these windows and the exterior joinery.
Whilst manufacturing I noted that the internal part to the glazing beads and frame has a 1.5 degree taper from the face to the base of the rebate. Incorporating a 4.8mm radi (3/16″ ) roundover moulding.
The combination of these two features produce a 8 or 6 light window which is aesthetically less bulky and lighter in appearance than would normally be the case.
The 4.8mm round over also features on the edge of the central meeting stiles along with a 4.8 mm rounded grove set back 10mm. Glazing bars are 25.5mm wide, reducing to 24.75mm on the face ie;
1.5degrees. Glazing rebate depth is 16mm x 10mm. The bottom rail on an 8 light is 80mm (3 1/8″ ) wide and 70mm (2 3/4″) wide on a 6 light. Stiles are 44mm (1 3/4″) wide on both the 6 and 8 light windows along with thet top rail. Overall they are 35mm (1 3/8″) thick.
Before manufacturing commences I need to take apart one of the windows to extract the various components. Layers of paint often have to be scrapped away to get to the original timber so that accurate measurements can be taken.
Next a rod sometimes called a cartoon is set out onto a piece of board or length of timber usually a piece of 8×1″.This is basically a full size plan incorporating all the mouldings and the position of components in relation to each other. The rod is an essential part of the manufacturing process, get this wrong and everything else will be wrong.
I do remember the rod loft during my apprenticeship where long lengths of board were set out on equally long work benches with sometimes complex ‘ works of art’ being drawn up. There were even full size rods set up onto a white washed floor displaying the sheer at set intervals of a yacht with datum lines. There was one particular old hand who after a lifetime of setting up could undertake this freehand. My understanding is that this can now be done on a computer alas these skills may be lost in the coming years.
Finally machining can now commence referencing the rod periodically to ensure accuracy.
Wooden Window Repair 