Heritage Brass Window Furniture: A Guide to Finishes, Styles and Fittings

Supplied by Trade Door Handles, trusted UK supplier of architectural ironmongery since 1976, with quick nationwide delivery.

At Trade Door Handles we offer the full range of Heritage Brass architectural ironmongery, and window furniture is one of the areas customers ask us about most. Heritage Brass is the range made by M.Marcus, the Dudley based manufacturer established in 1940. Every piece of Heritage Brass window furniture starts life as solid brass, and is then finished in lacquered brass or plated in chrome, nickel, bronze or black. The range covers casement fasteners, casement stays, sash fasteners, sash lifts, sash stops, espagnolette handles and fanlight fittings, all made to match.

This guide walks through the Heritage Brass window furniture range by finish, by style, by window type and by job, so you can choose the right window furniture with confidence, whether you are restoring a Victorian terrace, fitting out a new timber window or replacing a tired uPVC handle.

Brass has been the metal of choice for British window furniture for more than two centuries, and Heritage Brass still uses it as the base for every fitting, whatever colour it ends up.

Much of the cheaper window furniture sold online is zinc alloy or steel with a thin plated coat. If that coat is scratched or worn through, the metal underneath can corrode. Heritage Brass fittings are solid brass underneath the finish, so even a chrome or black window handle resists corrosion, holds its threads and can be refinished rather than thrown away. Brass is also heavier in the hand, which gives fasteners and stays a smooth, positive action that lasts for years of daily use.

Most Heritage Brass window furniture is made in eight finishes, so every fitting on a window can match the door furniture in the same room. The finishes fall into two groups:

• Brass finishes - Polished Brass, Satin Brass and Antique Brass show the brass itself, sealed under a protective lacquer
• Plated finishes - Polished Chrome, Satin Chrome, Polished Nickel, Satin Nickel and Matt Bronze are plated over the solid brass base
• Polished finishes give a bright, reflective look, while satin finishes are brushed for a softer look that hides fingerprints

Selected designs are also made in matt black and in unlacquered brass, which ages naturally and is a favourite for listed buildings and restoration work.

Lacquered brass and plated chrome, nickel and bronze window furniture only need wiping with a soft damp cloth and drying. Never use metal polish or abrasive cleaners on these finishes, as they strip the lacquer or scratch the plating. Unlacquered brass is left bare, so it slowly darkens to a soft patina and can be polished back whenever you like. In coastal homes, where salt air is harsh on any metal, wipe your window furniture down regularly whatever the finish.

Most people start by searching for window handles, and in Heritage Brass window furniture that word covers casement fasteners, espagnolette handles and sash fasteners. The finish you choose sets the tone for the whole window:

• Brass window handles in polished or satin brass are what most people mean by gold window handles, and suit Georgian and Victorian homes
• Antique brass and matt bronze window handles suit period cottages and dark painted frames
• Chrome and nickel window furniture gives a cooler, modern look on white or grey joinery
• Matt black window furniture is a popular choice for contemporary homes and barn conversions

Because Heritage Brass is designed for timber, these are some of the best window handles for wooden windows, from original sashes to new flush casements.

Heritage Brass groups its window furniture into matching styles, and each style comes in the same choice of finishes. Choosing one style of window furniture and using it on every window is the simplest way to get a coordinated look.

The Heritage Brass reeded window hardware range has a ribbed grip that echoes the popular reeded door handles and cabinet knobs. It includes reeded casement fasteners in standard and lockable versions, reeded espagnolette handles, and reeded casement stays in 10 and 12 inch.

The ball pattern window furniture range has a smooth rounded end on every fitting. It covers ball casement fasteners, a lockable ball espag handle and the V992 ball casement stay in 8, 10 and 12 inch, and several pieces are made in matt black.

The spoon pattern window furniture range is the plainest style, with a flattened spoon end. The V990 spoon end stay is what many customers call a Victorian casement stay, as it is the pattern found on original Victorian and Edwardian timber casements.

Casement windows are hinged at the side and need two main pieces of casement window furniture: a fastener to hold the window shut and a stay to hold it open.

This is the most common mistake we see. If your casement has a rubber or brush draught seal, you need a weather stripped casement fastener, which has extra throw to pull the window tight against the seal. A standard fastener on a sealed window often will not close fully, which is why checking for a seal matters when choosing window furniture. For extra security choose from the lockable casement fasteners, which are supplied with a key.

Casement stays are the part of your window furniture that is sold by length. Measure from the centre of the pivot to the end of the arm on your existing stay, then choose from:

• 8 inch casement stays for narrow casements and small cottage windows
• 10 inch casement stays, the most common size for standard domestic windows
• 12 inch casement stays for wider and taller casements

For secure ventilation, a window stay lock is a simple upgrade to your casement window furniture. Add casement stay locking pins so the stay can be locked closed with a key.

Sliding sash windows need three types of window furniture: a fastener on the meeting rail, lifts to raise the lower sash, and ideally a pair of sash stops for security.

The sash fastener, also called a sash window catch or latch, is the most visible piece of sash window furniture. Heritage Brass makes three main types of catches for sash windows:

• Brighton sash fasteners use a screw-down knob to pull the rails tight, and the narrow version suits slim double glazed sashes
• Fitch pattern sash fasteners use a curved cam and are a classic choice for Victorian and Georgian windows
• hook plate sash fasteners are forgiving on older windows where the sashes do not line up perfectly

Most sash windows need two sash window lifts on the lower sash, in the same finish as the fastener. For security, sash window stops fitted in pairs stop the sashes sliding past each other while still allowing ventilation. You can compare every brand in our sash window stops collection.

Most uPVC windows, and many modern timber windows, use an espagnolette handle that drives locking points along the sash. The Heritage Brass uPVC replacement window handles let you swap a plain plastic handle for solid brass window furniture in the finish of your choice. Before ordering, check the handing, the spindle length and the fixing centres, which are most commonly 43mm on uPVC windows.

Every item in the lockable window furniture collection is supplied with a key, covering casement fasteners, sash fasteners and espag handles. Lockable window furniture stops a window being opened from inside without the key, which is useful for child safety and ground floor windows. Decorative lockable fittings are not insurance-rated locks, so we recommend pairing them with sash stops or a dedicated window lock.

Heritage Brass is one of several ranges of window furniture we stock, and the right choice depends on the property. Here is how Heritage Brass window furniture compares with the alternatives:

• Heritage Brass window furniture - a solid brass base with eight matching finishes, best for period homes and coordinated schemes
• M.Marcus rustic black window furniture - a hand-forged look for cottages and barn conversions
• Tudor black iron window furniture - traditional monkey tail and shepherds crook patterns
• Our full window furniture range - every brand we stock, from polished bronze to marine grade stainless steel

1. Identify the window type: casement, sash, espagnolette or fanlight
2. Check for draught seals, as sealed casements need weather stripped fasteners
3. Measure existing stays and fixing centres before you order
4. Pick one finish and one style for every window in the room, ideally matching your door furniture
5. Decide which windows need lockable fittings or sash stops

Choosing window furniture this way keeps every window consistent. For fanlights and high windows, see our Heritage Brass fanlight window furniture, which includes catches, quadrant stays and roller arm stays.

Trade Door Handles is part of T.H. Wiggans Ironmongery Ltd, which has supplied architectural hardware since 1976. Our strap line is "more than just door handles", and with over 30,000 products we are one of the largest online suppliers of architectural ironmongery in the UK. We stock the full Heritage Brass collection, matching door furniture and hinges, and supply architects, builders, joiners, schools, hospitals, hotels and homeowners across the country. You can also see window furniture in person at our Kendal and Carlisle showrooms, which serve customers across Cumbria and the North West as well as trade accounts nationwide. Our local team has decades of experience with timber windows, so if you are unsure which window furniture you need, ask us before you order. We would rather help you get the right window furniture first time than deal with a return.