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Conservation & Repair

SOURCING ORIGINAL WARNER ESTATE FEATURES

Door Furniture

  • Victorian/Edwardian door furniture on the Warner Estate was ornate in style and manufactured in cast iron by Archibald Kenrick & Sons in West Bromwich.  It was painted in black enamel paint (‘japanned’).
  • Post-WWI dwellings had simpler styles which combined the letter box and knocker in one

Knockers

  • The Kenrick No. 405 style knocker was used extensively across the Warner Estate
  • Other original styles include the Kenrick No. 333 (‘barley twist’ style, found on some properties on Warner Road) and a plainer style (No. 399) at the top of Leucha Road
  • Original knockers are available on eBay and Cast In Style sell good reproductions of No. 405 (Code C30)

Letter Plates

  • Original letter plates include the Kenrick No. 8 and a similar style with a more rounded top,  however they are relatively hard to source and have small openings for post
  • An alternative is a Kenrick No. 4 letter box. While it wasn’t used on the Warner Estate, it is of the correct period and has a larger opening. Reproductions are available at Cast in Style (Code D418 or D3651)

Doors & Paint

  • The majority of Victorian/Edwardian front doors were five-panel, with the top four panels glazed
  • Original doors are sometimes available from All Doors, 248 Lea Bridge Road, E10 7LN
  • They should ideally be painted in the original Warner scheme of ‘brilliant green’ picked out in cream.  The specialist hard-wearing fade-resistant gloss paint was supplied by Leighs Paints in Bolton (standard formula paints generally will not retain their original green hue and will fade to a blue or yellow tone).  The paint can be purchased from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, who acquired Leighs:  C530 Single Pack Alkyd Quick Drying High Gloss in BSC369 (cream) and R3113 (‘superfast brilliant green 101’)

Sources

  • Owen, Michael, Antique Cast Iron, Littlehampton, 1977
  • Osborne, Guy, Leucha Road Conservation Area, LBWF, 2005                                             

© Kirstin Sibley 2014

 

Door numbers

We are often contacted regarding the original painted numbers on the fan lights above the doors. Although hand painted numbers may not match a contemporary font exactly, many people have found that Clarendon works well with a drop shadow. They can be produced in adhesive vinyl or a sign writer employed to produced a hand painted version.

Comments (41)

  2. Patrick

    Hello we are finally doing a kitchen renovation and I am trying to keep things in an original style. Would you know any custom kitchen builders that have done work in Warner flats?

    • exwarnerproject

      I don’t I’m afraid, if you’re on Facebook, try the ‘Walthamstow Recommends’ group.

  3. shamus lacey

    hello
    im in the process of restoring my front door back to the original. this is all going well. I’m stuck trying to find the font for the flat number on the glass above the front door.
    can anyone help?
    shamus

  4. Laurie

    Hello

    I’m planning to restore the original Warner floorboards when I get the keys to my new place later this month. Can anyone tell me what wood the original boards are made of? Thank you!

  6. Paul Tasker

    Hello, does anybody know what kind of glass was used above the door with the Clarendon-style font for the number? I’ve heard it called “smoked glass” but wouldn’t know how to order such a vague description but I’ve also seen on some Warner properties a kind of grid design in gold and an umber-like colour.

    Any steers gratefully received,
    Paul in Warner Road, E17

    • exwarnerproject

      hi Paul, I don’t know the type of glass I’m afraid but suspect it would be hard to source the same now. Will let you know if we find anything out. Lucy

  7. Lesley

    CAST IRON BATHTUB?

    Hey All,
    I’m in the midst of making a lovely old Warner my new home. I want to install a double ender cast iron bath tub. Anyone know anything about the floors in Warners? Would the bathroom be sturdy enough to take a cast iron tub, some water and a person?

    Thanks!
    Lesley

    • exwarnerproject

      hi Lesley, some of the upstairs flats did have cast iron baths put in probably in the 1950s so probably ok although best to consult a builder before going ahead. Good luck!

  8. Alex

    Hi

    I have managed to get a original Warner door for my warner house! We need a completely new frame as well if we are going to install it. Do you have any idea of type/size of frame moulding?

    Thanks

    Alex

    • exwarnerproject

      Sorry Alex, not quite sure on that one – will let you know if we find out.

  9. Lesley

    Hi there, just saw this
    Thank you!
    My builder says yes. Structural Engineer comes Monday for the official ok
    fingers crossed please!

  10. John

    I’m in the process of buying a Warner flat with a hideous pvc front door…

    I want to start looking for an original Warner front door and have found one for a reasonable price, however I’m unsure of the dimensions of the existing door. Does anyone know if they are all the same size, or all they all different sizes??

    • exwarnerproject

      hi John, as the properties were built over a number of years there can be some differences in size, although a joiner may be able to adjust if the door is not quite the right size.

  11. Oliver

    Any chance you’ve come across a tiler who repairs/relays quarry tiles? Or someone who stocks them?

    • exwarnerproject

      Sorry, no we don’t have a contact with a tiler, but the tiles can often be found on Ebay or reclaim yards.

  12. Kate

    Hi I’m planning to restore my (poor, battered) Warner front door. Two things: does anyone know someone who could give me any advice/help with the trickier bits? Did the paint for the front doors have lead in it? Thank you.

    • exwarnerproject

      hi kate, the original paint probably did have lead in it yes as that was common at the time. Sorry we don’t have a list of tradespeople but you can probably find some by using local Facebook groups. Good luck!

  13. Louis

    Can anybody recommend a green paint for front doors which is close to the original? Sherwin Williams website didn’t seem to have the one recommended above.
    Thanks

    • Ursla

      Those trying to source the green colour used on the front door you can go to the Sherwin-Williams website and put in C530 Single Pack Alkyd Quick Drying High Gloss. A range of colours comes up including brilliant green. It is very expensive £85 for 5l because it is not intended for front doors.But when you click on brilliant green you get the following code BS381c221. If you then go to https://www.e-paint.co.uk/Colour_alternatives.asp? and search for an alternative using the code it suggests options.
      Hope this helps

  14. Daniel

    Hello. Great work you’re doing here. I was hoping you could recommend a trades person to re-lay our Warner flat front patio using the original terracotta and ebony tiles, or where I might be able to source the tiles from. Thank you.

    • exwarnerproject

      thanks Daniel. the tiles are quite easy to get hold of – just look up quarry tiles – but the laying of them can be quite pricey and I don’t have a specific recommendation. You could try Walthamstow Recommends Facebook group for some ideas. Lucy

  15. jane harper

    Hi, I’m looking for someone to sign write our house number above the front door on the glass. I read somewhere that there is a sign writer specialising in warner flat door numbers. Do you have any ideas of who that is? Thanks very much.

  16. Steven

    Hi,

    Does anybody know where I could get a pane of glass close to the original mottled glass used on the Warner doors?

    Best wishes,

    Steven

    • exwarnerproject

      you could try Harlequin glass on Lea Bridge Road. However the original glass wasn’t safety glass so the exact same one is probably not still available.

  17. Betsy

    Hi

    I love this work and the warner flats

    If anyone knows where to go for a warner door other than lea bridge road. Please let me know

    Also what type of locks fit well on the external door. Nightlatch and five lever mortise OK?

    Also interested in trades to redo the path please

    Thanks!

  18. Alexis

    Hello! After many years, I’ve finally got hold of an original Warner front door and a reproduction knocker from Cast in Style. I have a very niche question about where to put it!

    I notice in all of the pictures on your website, the knocker is attached so that the bottom of it is in the middle of the 4 panes of glass. On my street, the norm seems to be for the TOP of the knocker to be in the middle of the 4 panes of glass, including on doors that look like they’ve been there forever.

    Were both placements originally used? Or have people been taking their knockers off and moving them down a few inches?! This is suddenly a huge and important dilemma you see! 😉

    • exwarnerproject

      haha.. I think it is the top in the middle, but mine is actually higher so I could put a spy hole in the middle of the panes… Probably best to look around your local area and decide if you want it to go in the same place as your neighbours.

  19. Darren Lawrence

    Hi all – we’ve just moved into a Warner flat and are looking to replace the internal bathroom door – does anyone know of any specialist companies that could help source either an original door, or one that would look equality at home in the flat?

    Thanks in advance,
    Darren.

  20. Simon Evans

    Hi there, what a great project this is! Do you know if it is possible to do loft conversions on Warner houses at all? It looks like a couple of other houses on Badlis Road already have single dormer conversions but I wonder about a double-dormer? Thanks! Simon

    • exwarnerproject

      Yes it is possible, lots of flats and houses have conversions although if you are in a comservation area a double dormer may not be possible, best to talk to Planning or an architect / loft company.

  21. Natalia Wilkoszewska

    Hi there,

    We have original Warner’s door and need to find some original beading as it is damaged. We don’t need a lot to replace it but were wondering if you have any clues as what type of beading it is and who could make a replacement for us?

    Thank you,
    Natalia.

    • exwarnerproject

      Sorry, I don’t know about the beading, you could ask on Walthamstow Recommends Facebook group to see if anyone there knows?

  22. Luke

    Hello
    Does anyone know a good place to buy Clarendon Drop-shadow vinyl stickers online?
    Luke

  23. Chris

    Hi, we wanted to re-do our front walkway in the traditional red and black brick you see in many of the warners. I was wondering if there was someone local that could be recommended please? Thanks!

    • exwarnerproject

      Hi, You could try asking on the Facebook Group – Walthamstow Recommends. I’m afraid we don’t know anyone directly. Thanks!

  24. Michael

    Hi there,

    I’m considering installing sound-proofing / insulation to my ground floor Warner flat. I wonder, do you know of anyone who has looked into this as a viable option? Is this a common problem with Warner homes? I know they are old, but they are purpose built, so I wonder if it’s my particular flat / the flooring upstairs!

    Many thanks,
    Michael

    • exwarnerproject

      Hi there, you could try posting on the Facebook group Walthamstow Recommends as I’m afraid we don’t know anyone directly. Thanks very much.