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In recent years there has been a surge in the popularity of original architectural features, such as sash windows. In past decades, the quest to improve our homes has led to the loss of so many of these features, but now people are realizing their historical and aesthetical value.

The SASH in sash windows is derived for the French for frame, CHASSIS. It is thought that this type of window was introduced in the sixteenth century, either in Holland or England. Now, they epitomize English design of the Victorian and Georgian periods, featuring on everything from palaces to town houses.

Most commonly, sash windows are two panels, each consisting of six panes of glass. Each sash slides open, using a weight and pulley, although there are variations on this design. Usually the frames are oak, and set back from the brickwork, as it was considered a fire risk to have them flush with the building. Again, this is not always the case, as it was difficult to enforce this law.

This new window type soon took off as they were much easier to see through than earlier designs. Previously, windows were made up of many separate panes surrounded by a lead frame. Additionally, Sir Christopher Wren began incorporating them into his new buildings, making them even more popular.

A window tax some two hundred and fifty years ago, led many people to take out their windows and block them in, thus reducing their taxes. This raised the status of sash windows as hey were seen as a luxury that only the upper classes could afford.

After some time, sash windows became unfashionable and dated. The industrial revolution meant that glass could be manufactured in large, single panes, which made for uninterrupted views. At this point many old windows were simply destroyed.

Nowadays, we recognize the historical worth of original features, and many new build developments incorporate modern equivalents. Authentic windows are expensive to buy reclaimed, which means that keeping yours in good condition is a real long term investment. Sometimes people feel that their windows let in draughts, but there are options for upgrading them.

Today, we are much more sympathetic to our old buildings, and can see that modern additions simply look wrong. More and more, people are replacing lost sash windows, at great expense. Since our windows are such prominent features of our homes, it is well worth ensuring that they look great.

Get exclusive inside info on the history of Sash Windows now in our comprehensive guide to sash window refurbishment and all you need to know about sash window refurbishment London .

Sash windows reflect a time when life was slower and gracious living extended to the finishes of the house. These classic styled windows were first produced by carpenters who had great pride in their handiwork and made them to last. Centuries later many of their windows have indeed stood the test of time and are now in need of sash window refurbishment.

The two sashes that form part of this type of window move past one another on timber runners with the aid of sashes pulleys and counterweights. They were first constructed at a time when pane glass was thick and heavy and windows of this nature difficult to open.

This design made it easy to open windows and allowed free access to both sides of the panes for easy cleaning. The sashes can be pulled up or down and this gives the cleaner access even on upper floors. The unique design also allows a person the choice of leaving bottom and top sections open slightly to encourage air to circulate around a room.

Through decades the original wooden frames have weathered and may sometimes not have been given the attention they required. Wood reacts to the elements by swelling and shrinking and this together with normal wear and tear has led to ill fitting frames that are not as snug fitting as they may have originally been. This causes loss of heat from a room as well as allowing draughts into it.

Modern accessories and materials used for building have been vastly improved and one is now able to restore the various ravages of time or replace with similar looking products. However these windows are so exceptional that refurbishment may seem to be the only choice if a person wishes to keep the historic design.

Refurbishment is mostly done on site and it is seldom necessary to remove a frame for replacement. When doing restoration on sashes a person can easily add draught proofing and double glazed panes without changing original design in any way. By doing this people may find that they have a considerable saving on their heating bills. Repairing and replacing pulleys and sashes is relatively easy and will cause no disruption to household running. One may wish to consider adding locking latches at the same time in order to make the windows more secure.

This type of frame has been in use since the seventeenth century and adds a distinctive and elegant feature to any building’s facade. When one considers that this design was brought into fruition at a time before electricity and air-conditioning the concept was very clever for cooling rooms. Many buildings that still have their original window frames are now listed as heritage sites. This means that work of any nature to the building has to be cleared with the relevant Council governing these homes.

One need not have sleepless nights trying to decide between either doing restoration or whether to replace those sashes that are in dire need of repair. The answer is simple if a person wishes to retain the original ageless beauty of old wooden frames then sash window refurbishment is the only answer. Keeping and restoring that elegant facade will add great value to a person’s home not only in monetary terms but aesthetically as well.

Retain your home’s historical elegance with Sash window refurbishment London! More info in our comprehensive guide to everything you should know about exterior decorators London

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Loneliness has been linked to depression and other health problems. Now, a study says it can also spread. A friend of a lonely person was fifty-two percent more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. And a friend of that friend was twenty-five percent more likely to do the same.

Earlier findings showed that happiness, obesity and the ability to stop smoking can also spread like infections within social groups.

The findings all come from a major health study in the American town of Framingham, Massachusetts.

The study began in nineteen forty-eight to investigate the causes of heart disease.

Since then, more tests have been added, including measures of loneliness and depression.

The new findings involved more than five thousand people in the second generation of the Framingham Heart Study. The researchers examined friendship histories and reports of loneliness. The results established a pattern that spread as people reported fewer close friends.

For example, loneliness can affect relationships between next-door neighbors. The loneliness spreads as neighbors who were close friends now spend less time together. The study also found that loneliness spreads more easily among women than men.

Researchers from the University of Chicago, Harvard and the University of California, San Diego, did the study. The findings appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The average person is said to experience feelings of loneliness about forty-eight days a year.

The study found that having a lonely friend can add about seventeen days. But every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half days.

Lonely people become less and less trusting of others. This makes it more and more difficult for them to make friends — and more likely that society will reject them.

John Cacioppo at the University of Chicago led the study. He says it is important to recognize and deal with loneliness. He says people who have been pushed to the edges of society should receive help to repair their Social Networks.

The aim should be to aggressively create what he calls a “protective barrier” against loneliness.

This barrier, he says, can keep the whole network from coming apart.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report. You can find transcripts and MP3s of all of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also post your comments and read what others are saying. And you can find us on YouTube and Twitter at VOA Learning English.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 06Jan2010)

Duration : 0:4:3

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How can we forget the period of invasion, plundering and insulting incidents for the people of Ireland which is the seventeenth century? People who either survived all the events of that period or those who had heard things about that time from their ancestors will give us a detailed account on those bloody riots and massacres. Small groups of rebels in the Irish lands were brutally crushing under the heels of their English conquerors and this was the opening of a great chapter in the history of Ireland.

In the early parts of the eighteenth century, the English and the Irish had made the Act of Union and this enabled the differences between the two regions to subdue greatly. North and South parts of the Irish lands were facing internal conflicts which were mainly on whether to follow their old customs or to follow new principles in governing the region better.

When the northern part of Ireland prospered immensely with the growth in industrial and manufacturing sectors, the uneven regions of the southern regions prevented optimistic growth in their lives, forcing them to resume their past again. Britain was blamed for all these troubles and they were forced into sending troops to solve these matters at hand. Both the regions suffered again under this newly renewed fight for freedom and prosperity and it brought about the permanent division of the northern and southern regions.

During this period, the Catholics wanted complete freedom and this created a much bigger political problem in Ireland for almost four decades. The solution which was chosen for this problem was the inception of the Government of Ireland act in the year 1920, which however did not help the situation much. Guerrilla warfare methods were used by the Irish Republican Army against the troops of British soldiers and this brought about the death of countless Englishmen.

In the year 1921, however, the legendary treaty of peace was signed between the different groups of Ireland. The result was that Northern Ireland got hold of six counties while twenty three Southern counties and three counties from Ulster were brought under the region of southern Ireland. Following these turn of events, the independent republic of Ireland was formed and things seemed to have come into control after this for some time.

However, fate played its turn a little later, from 1960 to 1990, which brought the old ways of violence back into play. Fueled by the Catholics and the Protestants in the land, armed attacks by the Independent Republican Army and the Protestant paramilitary forces were raging on, forcing the British to intervene. Only after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement between the Irish Prime ministers and the British and the cease fire from the IRA, peace started to reign on the lands of Ireland. The most recent turn of events is the handing over of all powers by the British back to Ireland, in 2010, which has left only the echoes of the past to resound once in a while.

If you interested in Ireland and Irish news and events – please find out more about New events in Ireland and recent Irish cultural events and news in our blog posts.

Researchers map thousands of letters exchanged in the 18th century’s “Republic of Letters” and learn at a glance what it once took a lifetime of study to comprehend.

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Duration : 0:2:29

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In Belgium can be found a little village/ town best known as Spa. It has a tiny population of only 11000, but as they say, it’s all about quality, not quantity. Home of the worlds 1st Casino and oldest resort, surely it holds an experience that you can never forget.

Although it is quite small, the history that Sap has, is nothing short of amazing. Many greats from across the globe have taken their time to visit such a place, and there is no reason why you cannot be next. A place of miracles some may call it, as it possessed natural water which has be shown to heal many in the past.

In this day and age, Spa is not the go to holiday spot like it was in its prime, but still has remained on our maps, with its contribution to the world with its natural mineral water, which is a favourite amongst many societies.

If you want to get in touch with history, then why not visit the Hotel Brittanique. It was once the headquarters of the German Kaiser during the 1st world war, now turned boarding school.

During the evening, when one is in need of a relaxing atmosphere, there is nothing more rewarding that a walk through the seven o’clock park. For more than 300 years people have come from far and wide to enjoy simple evening walks into the sunset.

If you love to drink then you must know that beer is 2nd to none on the diet of the Belgians. So if you are the type to be looking for a few messy events, you can be certain Belgium shall not be of any disappointment.

A visit to Spa, is a lovely and luxurious vacation to take. As well as being informal with its insight into history, the relaxation and joyous times it offers really are second to none.

If you need real advice about spa’s or taxi airport transfer, then visit useful resources to help you find more information on bookings and transport, whether it be reliable airports or an airport transfer service.