Perched on a wave lashed cliff on the Cornwall coast, The Headland Hotel is an imposing building that first opened its doors to guests in June 1900.
With such a dramatic marine location, owner John Armstrong sought two key qualities when looking to refurbish the windows throughout the building: traditional aesthetics and long-term performance. Fortunately, having previous experience of Andersen Windows from Black Millwork, he knew exactly where to turn.
Situated overlooking Fistral Beach in Newquay, the hotel is in an extremely beautiful but ultimately very exposed location. Therefore, the window specification needed to be strong enough to survive a constant battering from the elements. In addition to this, as a listed building from the Victorian era, planning requirements placed strict limitations on the shape and style of replacement window units and therefore the selected windows had to be approved by the local conservation officer.
When it came to selecting windows for the refurbishment, John instantly settled on Andersen’s products, having already used them in a previous project several years earlier. “We built a series of self catering cottages back in 2000 and I remember that a key part of the original brief was that the windows must be very strong,” he commented. “We’ve had guests in the past who have arrived at the hotel and thrown open the windows to let the sea air in, only to have them blown out of their hands in a gale.
“We chose to use Andersen’s 400 Series casement windows on the cottages as they can be wound open, so you are always in control of them, and they have been absolutely brilliant. I haven’t had one single problem with them – they look good, perform well and require virtually no maintenance. We were so impressed that when we began restoration work on the hotel we immediately decided to use Andersen windows again.”
John specified Andersen’s 400 Series Woodwright Double-Hung sliding sash windows throughout the upper parts of the hotel initially and is planning to fit them elsewhere, as restoration work continues. Delivering classic styling to complement the hotel’s traditional façade, the windows also incorporate a number of modern technologies to offer excellent long-term benefits. All Andersen Windows are manufactured using Low E-4 self-cleaning glass, which reduces water spots – perfect for the seaside location of the hotel.
In addition to the stylish looks, all of the windows and doors possess excellent energy performance levels and low maintenance costs. They feature an innovative Perma-shield system, which protects the exterior of a window for decades, eliminating the need to paint and resulting in significant financial savings. Other key features include optimum UV filtration and noise reduction, again key benefits for a hotel property.
“The Andersen windows from Black Millwork have exceeded our expectations. We are delighted with the product and will certainly be continuing to use them for our renovations,” concluded John.
