FAQ's
What are the origins of traditional Awnings?
Traditional steel framed shop blinds will last for decades many that you will still see in use are well over half a century old. The cloth will have been changed but the mechanism and the nameplate of the maker from bygone times still survive. The mechanisms are generally much stronger than the most robust aluminium blind and are the nearest to an all weather blind that a shop keeper can expect. They date from the times when every blindmaker had a blacksmiths shop and the fitter adjusted the steel arms by bending them in the nearest drain cover!
Before the days of refrigeration shopkeepers knew the importance of shop awnings to shade the window and preserve their wares so every shop had its cotton duck canvas awning. The blind box was usually fitted above the name board as the earliest types of frames were simple drop arms. That meant that to get a projection that would give cover to the glass, usually 7 feet (2.13m) and to allow head clearance under the front rail the roller had to be fitted 14ft above the floor level.
At that height the awning covered the nameboard so to identify the type of shop each trade often had its own colours and the traders name was sign written on to the fabric. The butchers shop was recognisable from the red and white stripes and the fishmonger was blue and white.
Nowadays aluminium has replaced the steel framework of awnings as it is easier to fabricate and less expensive than steel. Traditional cotton duck canvas has been replaced by modern acrylic fabric. It has the same look but as it has significant benefits in chemical and weather resistance and has effectively replaced cotton even on traditional sites.
We can still produce most of the traditional types although the cost is significantly higher than the aluminium equivalent.
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