Windows star in TV hidden village
14th April 2015

It’s not everyone who gets to see their creation featured on national television, but that’s just what happened to Pioneer Trading’s Head of Aluminum Bruce Williams when the windows he designed for the country’s largest village hall were featured in Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages on Channel 4.

First developed as a Garden Village in 1926, Silver End is an unconventionally attractive Art Deco style village set in the heart of Essex and was created to house the growing workforce of a local manufacturer of groundbreaking metal windows. The munificent industrialist was also a huge favourite with the architects of his day, his product enabled them to design the large sleek and slender windows so desired in the Art Deco buildings of the time.

The village hall is directly opposite the industrialist’s own home, known locally as the Manor House - both buildings are listed for their architectural importance. Designed to be the social hub of the village the hall is today home to a pre-school, a Children’s Centre, a Social Club and much more.

Quite naturally the original windows throughout the village were manufactured in steel. Compelled to maintain the aesthetics of the village through the strict conservation rules by which the village is maintained Pioneer was able to recreate the original 1920s styling of the windows using a modern aluminum system purposely designed for heritage projects.

“I am very proud of what we achieved at Silver End,” said Bruce. “Because the windows had been replaced at least once in the lifetime of the village hall we redesigned the windows without seeing any original images. But by studying other buildings in the village and contemporary archives of the time we were able to design windows that the Council was more than happy with. The Profile used in manufacture was from the Smart system Heritage 47 range and powder coated in an aged white as approved by the council’s heritage department.

“It was developed by Smart Aluminium Systems to be an energy efficient alternative option to steel windows where like-for-like replacements are required in Heritage Areas. The system features a Polyamide thermal break allowing windows to achieve a U-value of 1.6 W/m2K, with suitable double glazed units, at prices significantly more attractive than steel products currently on the market.”

Seeing by chance his work appear on Penelope Keith’s popular Channel 4 show, Bruce added: “I was just at home flicking through the channels and I heard the name Silver End so continued to watch and low and behold there was the completed village hall. I couldn’t believe it. It felt great to be a part of such an important heritage project”

The Silver End episode of Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av9MPWNmg38