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.
I’m about to paint my Warner door this green – http://www.littlegreene.com/brilliant-green
I’m hoping it’s about right!
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?
I don’t I’m afraid, if you’re on Facebook, try the ‘Walthamstow Recommends’ group.
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
The closest match we’ve found is Clarendon.
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!
I’ve seen an original Archibald Kenrick & Sons No8 Letterbox & Pull Bar on eBay if anyone’s interested?
Exactly as described and shown in the above photo!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332226272255
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
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
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
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!
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
Sorry Alex, not quite sure on that one – will let you know if we find out.
Hi there, just saw this
Thank you!
My builder says yes. Structural Engineer comes Monday for the official ok
fingers crossed please!
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??
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.
Any chance you’ve come across a tiler who repairs/relays quarry tiles? Or someone who stocks them?
Sorry, no we don’t have a contact with a tiler, but the tiles can often be found on Ebay or reclaim yards.
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.
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!
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
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.
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
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.
Hello Jane, yes it’s Mia Warner (good name!) http://www.miawarner.com. Lucy
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
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.
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!
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! 😉
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.
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.
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
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.