Replacement windows in Wadhurst
Wadhurst is a market town on its own high ridge, seven miles east of Crowborough. Its centre is a conservation area with dozens of listed buildings, while the Victorian growth at Durgates and Sparrows Green has more freedom.
Wadhurst at a glance
Wadhurst had 4,906 people at the 2021 census. Henry III granted it a market charter in 1253. Like much of the Weald it had a thriving iron industry from the 16th to the 18th century, and two Georgian ironmasters' houses still stand on the High Street: Hill House and the Old Vicarage, which is Grade II* listed. The church of St Peter and St Paul has iron ledger-stone memorials, and Church Street has a row of cottages reputed to be the oldest in the town.
The railway station on the Hastings line opened in 1851 and brought Sparrows Green, Turners Green and Best Beech Hill into the town. In January 1956 a Gloster Meteor night fighter crashed into the middle of the town, destroying the Queens Head Hotel; the shops that replaced it are the largest modern change to the High Street. Bewl Water lies just to the east, and in March 2023 the Sunday Times named Wadhurst the best place to live in the UK.
The houses, and what is usually fitted
Behind the tile-hanging and weatherboarding of the High Street are many timber frames. Brick took over from the 18th century: Kemps on Lower High Street is 17th-century brick, and the early 19th-century White House on Church Street is named after its white weatherboarding.
- Listed and conservation-area houses in the centre: timber box sashes at £2,650 to £3,800 or timber flush casements at £2,000 to £3,800, and tall conservation sashes at £4,700 to £7,900 on the Georgian fronts.
- Victorian houses at Durgates and Sparrows Green: uPVC sash in white at £1,505 to £2,190, or heritage colour and woodgrain at £1,775 to £2,575.
- Post-war houses on the edges of the town: flush uPVC casements at £1,100 to £1,950.
Planning in Wadhurst
Wadhurst's centre is a conservation area designated by Wealden District Council, and the historic town has 34 listed buildings and monuments. Listed houses need listed building consent. Unlisted houses keep permitted development for like-for-like windows, but the council will expect timber-looking windows on the High Street. Durgates and Sparrows Green are mostly outside the conservation area. See the planning guide.
Typical prices for Wadhurst houses
Per unit, supplied and fitted, including VAT. Worked examples are on the typical prices page.
| Window or door | Size basis (mm) | Fitted, inc. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Timber box sash | 900 x 1800 | £2,650 to £3,800 |
| Timber flush casement | 1000 x 1200 | £2,000 to £3,800 |
| Tall heritage or conservation sash | 1100 x 2400 | £4,700 to £7,900 |
| uPVC vertical sliding sash, white | 900 x 1800 | £1,505 to £2,190 |
| uPVC sash, heritage colour or woodgrain | 900 x 1800 | £1,775 to £2,575 |
| uPVC flush casement | 1000 x 1200 | £1,100 to £1,950 |
Windows or doors for a house in Wadhurst?
Tell us the road and the house. A FENSA-registered installer surveys and sends a written quote in its own name.