Aburrow Cottage – Rationel FORMA

Heritage Renovation and Window Specification

Located in the village of Compton within the South Downs National Park Conservation Area, Aburrow Cottage is a characterful property dating back more than 200 years. Originally constructed as three separate cottages before being combined into a single dwelling, the property underwent extensive renovation in 2021. The project was completed with architectural input from Stylo Architect.

Preserving the character and appearance of the original building was a key consideration in the window specification. Rationel FORMA was selected for its fully timber construction, traditional proportions and distinctive bevelled detailing. This made it particularly well suited to heritage and period properties.

Westcott Architectural Glazing carried out the survey, removal, supply and installation of windows and doors across 18 openings. The double-glazed Rationel FORMA system delivers excellent thermal performance, with whole-window U-values achievable from 1.27 W/m²K. All units were factory finished internally and externally in semi-matt Pebble Grey (RAL 7032). This provides a durable and consistent finish while reducing ongoing maintenance requirements.

Factory-fitted glazing bars were incorporated to replicate the appearance of the original windows. Two bespoke heritage-style entrance doors were designed with herringbone-patterned panels and diamond-shaped glazing to complement the property’s traditional character.

Installation Challenges and Project Outcome

A particularly challenging aspect of the project was the restoration of the prominent bow window. This required alterations to the existing cill and roof structure above, together with the installation of new internal timber trims and bespoke chamfering to the Rationel frames.

Careful attention was paid to the detailing of each opening. This ensured the new windows sat comfortably within the existing structure. The completed installation enhances the property’s thermal performance while preserving the character and appearance that define the cottage.

All renovation works were completed by Westcott Construction, with the glazing package delivered by Westcott Architectural Glazing.

Further work at Aburrow Cottage is planned and will introduce window and door systems from some of our other manufacturing partners. Stay tuned.

More Projects

Bath Square – VELFAC V200

Romsey Road – VELFAC V200E

About Us

Westcott Architectural Glazing was established specifically to supply VELFAC, Rationel, Solarlux, Internorm and Spitfire timber, aluminium and composite double and triple glazed windows and doors into the UK market. We have extensive showrooms in Portsmouth, Hampshire and Chichester, West Sussex open for viewings by appointment.

Westcott Architectural Glazing specialise in high-end composite windows and doors. We have partnered with the DOVISTA Group to offer both Rationel and VELFAC brands. We also supply Solarlux folding and sliding doors, Spitfire entrance doors and Internorm windows and doors.

Contact Us

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02392 818 137 info@westcott.uk.com

If you are interested in working with us or have a question, we’d love to hear from you.

What Our Clients Say

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Mr P Spencer

Fantastic meeting on Friday – James explained everything in detail and was able to answer any question we asked – we were extremely impressed.

Richard

We had a leak from our VELFAC windows, so we got in touch with Composite Windows (Westcott) for a fix. The windows are over 12 years old, so not unexpected! It was a simple process and they attended site about 2 weeks from our first contact. Turns out the problem was not with the windows, but from the roof above. Jack was very Proffesional and really took his time looking at every possible other reason for the leak. To be fair he was right! What made the visit so impressive in my view was it would have been so easy to say “it’s not the window you need to call a roofer”. Jack did a repair job sealing up the possible problems on the roof and did a very nice job. Now that I know the job may not be a long term fix, but the very fact that he went out of his way to find a solution says a lot about him and the company. This was not a flying visit about 2 hours were spent finding and fixing the problem. Nice to find a company who cares and goes the extra mile. I may still have a leak at some points but at least they tried, that i fully respect and appreciate.

Valued Customer

Five star service. Adam and Arek were brilliant – they came to fix one job on our new build but spotted several other small issues that we hadn’t noticed and fixed the, at the same time. They were very professional and left everything tidy – fantastic service!