Charles Brooking
Major Rescue at Downing Street
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: Are you allowed to mention Downing Street ?
Charles Brooking : I suppose its general knowledge but I just I don't know.
Surveyor: But you have an example of Downing Street windows you have rescued? Do you have windows or windows and doors?
Charles Brooking : The windows have been donated by English Heritage from Downing Street .
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.
In 1992 I did a historical survey of the windows in Downing Street and as works progressed they have had to be replaced and the windows I have in the Brooking Collection from Downing Street were donated by English Heritage. These ranged from windows with re-fronting by Kent and Cause and an original door, a garden door from the 1730's by William Kent.
Surveyor: Please explain a bit more about what the 1770's window looked like.
Charles Brooking : Well they were reasonably thin glazing bars about three quarters of an inch to an inch with Roman ovelo or square ovelo mouldings in oak. I was also able to rescue the adjoining windows in Number 11 which had Astragal and hollow mouldings, they were 1770's as well. Sadly they had been affected by bomb damage during the war.
Astragal Moulding definition
Astragal moulding can also be referred to as a miniature torus and is a half round surface surrounded by two flat planes or fillets. The Greek and Latin vertebra is where the word Astragal is derived from with this type of beading resembling a vertebra.
Surveyor: How did the bomb damage affect them?
Charles Brooking : Well it had blown the glazing bars. Only about two or three survived because an awful lot were replaced in the early 1940's and again in the Raymond Erith reconstruction of 1960/63.
Surveyor: Were they replaced well?
Charles Brooking : Yes they were done in quite a good way and in a historical way in that they were quite accurate considering the time it was done.
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 from Buckingham Palace Mansions, London SW1
Major rescue in Woodbridge Road, Guildford, Surrey
Condensation and Cold Bridging
Cavity Wall Problems
Buying a House
References:
TheBrookingCollection.com
DartfordArchive.org.uk
IHBC.org.uk
ProjectBook.co.uk
Independent Surveyors
If you truly do want an independent expert opinion from a surveyor with regard to building surveys, structural surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects report, dilapidations or any other property matters please contact 0800 298 5424 for a surveyor to give you a call back.
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.
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