This is an incredible landmark building with a fascinating story behind it. It was built in the late 1930s as a memorial to James Hannington, who was killed as a Christian missionary in Uganda, and is now Grade II listed.

Although it’s a relatively modern building, its position means it can be affected by strong wind and it is very draughty.

Our expertise was called on to help out with the huge feature windows – being more than five metres tall and six metres off the ground, we knew we were in for a challenge!

It turned out that the size of the windows wasn’t the only obstacle to overcome – the eight windows were all unique shapes and in order for our secondary glazing to do its job, we needed to make sure they fit the openings precisely.

But we’re not afraid of a challenge, in fact we relish them!

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We went back to tried and trusted methods and got the tracing paper out to design the shape of each secondary glazing unit to exactly match the window opening.

Our secondary glazing worked perfectly, stopping the draughts and making the building warmer and quieter. But on top of that it has also helped to protect the beadwork in the original windows, maintaining the building’s heritage for generations to come.

The secondary glazing had to be created on two halves, with the bottom half sliding up to allow ventilation.

And in the expert hands of technical manager Mitch and our new apprentice George, the fitting took just a week.

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We got this work through an architect who we worked with on Southbourne lighthouse, so it was wonderful to be recommended.

We hope the church is now a much more comfortable place for the congregation and remains a fitting memorial to James Hannington.

Who was James Hannington?
James Hannington was born near Hove in 1847. His father was part of the family that owned Hannington’s department stores which closed a few years ago. James was drawn to a religious life and was ordained in 1874 and later volunteered for service in Uganda with the Church Missionary Society. He left England in May 1882 and trekked into the heart of Africa, suffering regular fevers, which affected his health. When he returned to England in 1883, he was told he must not go back. But in 1884 he was made the first Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa and returned. His last expedition was into Masai territory with a group of about 200 porters. One day his group was ambushed. And he was later killed. He was just 38.

To find out more about the benefits of our secondary glazing units, please click here.