Selectaglaze provided the secondary glazing units for the 15th-century timber-framed heritage buildings, situated in Coventry’s historic centre
3-5 Priory Row is a group of some of the best-preserved 15th century timber-framed cottages, overlooked by the 12th Century Holy Trinity Church in Coventry’s historic centre.
They are part of the ruins of St Mary’s Priory which was established by Earl Lefric and his wife Lady Godiva known for the legend where she rode around the city on horseback naked covered only by her long hair.
Astonishingly, the cottages were not damaged during the 1940 bombing raid which devastated much of the historic city centre.
Heritage
Designated of great architectural importance, the heritage buildings are Grade II*Listed. Although the timbers used in the cottage’s construction have been tree ringed, dating back to 1414 – it is thought they were not built until around 1648 by Rev Bryan of Holy Trinity Church, using reclaimed materials from other building projects. In 1855 they were restored and extended.
In the 19th century the building was in a state of disrepair and acquired by the neighbouring Blue Coat School, until the Council took over ownership later.
The building became known as Coventry Prayer House, providing religious spaces for cross-denominational worship, some office space and also had a gift shop.
Coventry Heritage Trust took ownership of the cottages to form one of the city’s leading heritage venues as part of its ‘City Of Culture 2021’ status. They have been meticulously restored, refurbished and conserved, as luxury short term lets.
Architects Vagdia and Holmes attained planning permissions and put together the specifications to upgrade these architecturally challenging cottages.
As they are Grade II* Listed, and in line with the clients wishes, any adjustments need to be of minimal intervention to retain their charm and character, yet needed to be made cosy and practical for those renting the spaces.
As stated, they are timber framed with lath and plaster infills and in the main they had the original single pane diamond leaded decorative windows, doing little to provide thermal and acoustic insulation.
Providing thermal performance and protection
Messenger Construction carried out major structural repairs before the main refurbishment works and subcontracted Selectaglaze to provide the secondary glazing units, with 2 sample windows supplied initially for review by the client and architect.
38 units were manufactured from across the slimline range of secondary glazing; Series 10 – 2 and 3 pane sliders were installed to the smaller windows and 4 pane horizontal sliding units for those spanning just shy of 2 metres.
Series 45 hinged casements were also used, some of which were glazed with satinovo glass to offer privacy. To match the dark wood reveals in a few of the windows, black frames were produced, with the remainder of secondary glazing in white to complement the surrounds.
Established in 1966, royal warrant holder Selectaglaze has a wealth of knowledge from working on all building types from new to Listed. The company offers a broad range of tested products covering acoustic and thermal performance as well as protection against intruder and blast mitigation.
