Any ideas when my front door dates from?

abankerbutnotafatcat

Sorry if this is a stupid question.



My house is from 1901. My front door has a semi circle of glass at the top - it's a quite common design.

I had presumed that it was a quite modern door - definitely post 1960's lead paint issues. However, I noted that nearly all the houses of the same era on my street have the same front door.

I've tried googling and it hasn't come up as a Victorian/Edwardian door design. Does anyone know when this design started being used?

phill99

Its a 'Carolina' Door. Some places it is sold as a a 'Kentucky' door and occasionally as a 'Colonial' Door.

Have a look here http://www.crowndoors.co.uk/Crown_Doors_Website_(13th_Dec_2/Mortice_and_Tenon_External_Door.html

It is solid Hardwood and has been either stained or varnished. It hasn't been painted so has no lead paint problem. In the early 1980's when the 'Right-to-Buy' programme was in full swing, the first thing that many excouncil tenants as new house owners did was put one of these doors on to distinguish it from the neighbours!!

It will date from the last 20 or 25 years or so.

abankerbutnotafatcat

Phill - this isn't my actual front door, mine is painted green and i'm very keen to change that!! If it makes any difference mine actually has 6 panels - 4 larger ones and 2 smaller ones at the top.

Thanks so much for the info, I now know that i can get sanding without any lead paint issues :-)

abankerbutnotafatcat

Mine is actually like this.

leveller2911

Its a "Mock Georgian" door about 1980,s. On a true Georgian door the sun ray (curve) would have been above the door and not on the door.

The photo attached is one I made a couple of years ago, its a different design but you can see where the "Sun ray" would be . You should be able to google "Victorian door styles"


http://www.flickr.com/photos/55385455@N04/6097925830/in/photostream

leveller2911

Just found the link to a pair of doors which would be Late Victorian style.The glazing bars would be narrow and the corner glass would quite often be coloured glass and the rest of the glass would be pattened.

You can still get victorian style glass pattens, so although its a pair of doors it would be in keeping for a late Victorian property for a single door.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55385455@N04/6097966282/in/photostream

barneyg

A lot of the late Victorian/early Edwardian houses around here have 4 panel doors, with the top two panels often glazed.

When I replaced mine (the house is 1894ish) that's what I went for:
http://www.todd-doors.co.uk/external-doors/external-hardwood/edwardian-blue-5208.aspx

There's some lovely (and pricey) doors of the right sort of style here:
http://londondoor.co.uk/

abankerbutnotafatcat

Thanks so much guys, for putting my mind at rest regarding the lead paint issue and for suggesting some alternatives that are truer to the period of my property - more late Victorian and less '80s Right to Buy!!!

For now we're just tarting up the existing c'80s door with a lick of non-green paint (the exact colour has been the subject of much debate between me and Mr bankerbutnotfatcat - we're veering towards mid-blues). We've only just moved in and there's so much to do. But very soon we will want to replace the door as it does have cracks and then we'll want a design more in keeping with what the original would have been.

2 questions.
1) If I showed you the front of my house could any of you tell what type of door it is likely to have had originally??
2) Are those doors with 2 large side by side vertical panels of glass a security risk?

Thanks once again to all you knowledgeable about front doors

leveller2911

abankerbutnotafatcat wrote: »

2 questions.
1) If I showed you the front of my house could any of you tell what type of door it is likely to have had originally??
2) Are those doors with 2 large side by side vertical panels of glass a security risk?

Thanks once again to all you knowledgeable about front doors

Any new door would need to comply with building regulations which means the glass would need to be 4mm toughend and double glazed.Toughend double glazing can take a hell of a beating with a hammer and still not break.If you have enough depth on the rebates (recess where the glass sits) you can go for 6.4mm laminated glass so if a burglar breaks the outside sheet of glass they won't get through the 2nd layer as the sheets of glass are seperated by a clear membrane.

Its a real job to break in or out and to be honest any burglar would try and bump the lock or look for an open window, too much chance of getting caught going through the front door.

Have you tried looking for old photo's of your house? local history group,books and library may have some info.

barneyg

1) If I showed you the front of my house could any of you tell what type of door it is likely to have had originally??

There's probably somebody on here who might know For a few things I've done on my house that I wanted to be more suitable for its age, I've walked the streets nosying at similar houses for ideas!

And as above, the glass is to modern standards, I think mine is effectively triple glazed with the stained glass sandwiched between two panes of normal clear glass. Makes it easier to keep clean too

ormus

the victorian house front door had 4 panels and the oblong skylight above the door.

the sunray pattern did not emerge until the art deco period. post WW1.
your door is a modern mock georgian design. very common. wickes and BQ must have sold millions of em.