ABSTRACT
The word window originates from the Old Norse vindauga, a compo-
sition of vindr ‘wind’ and auga ‘eye’. Windows bring in light, and views,
and act as a protection from extremes of climate. Awide range of glass
types has been used through history, from cut mica to float glass. A
modern window is usually glazed with one large opening, perhaps in
several layers, whilst windows in the past were glazed with multiple
smaller panes separated by glazing bars due to the unavailability of
large sheets of glass. Glazing bars were once made of lead, often
strengthened by iron, within a main frame of timber. From the begin-
ning of the eighteenth century, wooden glazing bars were used, and
glass was kept in place with putty. Today there are four main types of
window frame: timber, aluminium, steel and plastic. These are also
used in different combinations.