OUR STORY
We set out to build something that didn’t exist – and now can’t be matched
Sash Vault wasn’t created to follow a trend. It was founded to solve a problem.
For years, property owners were forced to choose: security or authenticity. Traditional timber sash windows offered charm and heritage compliance – but left homes vulnerable. Security upgrades looked clumsy, felt forced, or failed to meet planning requirements. No one had found a way to do both. So we did.
From the beginning, our goal was simple: create a sash window that looked completely traditional – yet offered genuine, engineered protection inside. Not with surface locks. Not with retrofitted bars. But with a structural solution built from the inside out.
We didn’t start as window salesmen. We came from high-security engineering and architectural detailing. That’s why our solution is different – and why no one has been able to copy it.
This is where our story begins: not with imitation, but invention. Not with products, but purpose.
Our roots are in structural security, not surface upgrades
Before Sash Vault, we were already designing and building secure systems – not in timber, but in steel. As part of the Fort group, we spent years creating doors and barriers for high-risk properties, government buildings, and clients who valued silence over showmanship.
It didn’t take long to notice the weakest point in even the grandest homes: the sash window. Lightweight. Exposed. Almost always vulnerable. Worse still, conservation rules prevented any meaningful upgrade.
We saw what was missing – and we understood why no one had solved it. It wasn’t a matter of better fittings or stronger glass. The problem was structural.
But we also understood buildings. Period architecture. Listed property regulations. The craft of timber joinery. We saw the full picture – not just the security spec, but the architectural integrity needed to make it real.
So we started again. Not with a template, but with a question:
How do you build a truly secure sash window that looks completely original?
The answer became our system. The work became our company.
Security isn’t a surface. It’s a structure – in both doors and windows
We built security doors that stopped forced entry, withstood attack, and looked entirely domestic. They were installed in embassies, private residences, and buildings that demanded elegance without weakness. But every time we walked through one of those secure doors, we saw the same vulnerability on the wall: a timber sash window – thin, traditional, and dangerously exposed.
We realised that the same approach we took with doors – hidden strength, precise engineering, and uncompromising beauty – could be brought to windows. But not by modifying existing systems. The sash window had to be reimagined.
We started from the inside out: designing a patented stainless steel core, developing secure ventilation that didn’t ruin the façade, and building a product that conservation officers could approve and burglars could not defeat.
Today, Sash Vault represents that shift. It’s the next step in the same philosophy: high-level security, concealed inside elegant, heritage-accurate construction.
The discipline remains the same. The difference is in the frame.
No one had done it because no one could. Until now
The market didn’t need another sash window with thicker locks or heavier timber. It needed a system – one that didn’t exist. That’s where we started.
We didn’t adapt an existing frame. We designed an entirely new one. At its core is a patented EU-registered stainless steel structure, embedded inside engineered timber. Unseen, unyielding, and unmatched. This was not reinforcement – this was re-engineering.
The design solves problems no traditional frame could. It resists crowbar attack. It accepts bulletproof glazing. It allows for secure ventilation without external visual compromise. And most importantly, it looks – and operates – exactly like a heritage sash window.
Creating this system wasn’t about improving what was already there. It was about inventing what had never been done – and doing it with complete respect for the architecture it serves.
Sash Vault is the result. A window that protects like a barrier, fits like a glove, and looks like it’s always belonged.
The only sash window in the UK approved for Grade 2 listed buildings with built-in high security
Conservation rules are strict – and rightly so. For years, any attempt to strengthen a sash window failed the test. The frames looked too modern. The glazing too heavy. The hardware too visible. The applications were rejected. Until ours.
Sash Vault is the first and only sash window system in the UK approved for use in Grade 2 listed buildings while offering built-in high-level security. That means no compromise on appearance – and no need to justify exposed bolts, bars or modern profiles.
We worked with conservation consultants and planning officers to ensure every visible detail aligned with historic standards. We matched profiles, joints, putty lines, and sightlines. We proved that our system could protect the property – while preserving its character.
This approval changed everything. It proved that true security and true heritage could exist in one frame. And it opened the door – literally – for property owners who had been told “no” for years.
We don’t subcontract quality – we deliver it ourselves
At Sash Vault, we control every part of the process – because we don’t trust anyone else to meet our standard.
From concept to final fitting, everything is handled by our team. We design the system, manufacture the frames in-house, and install them with trained professionals who understand exactly how they’re built. There are no subcontractors. No generic joiners. No lost accountability.
We believe true craftsmanship is about more than skill – it’s about ownership. Every security window that leaves our facility has been touched, checked, and signed off by someone who takes personal pride in the result. Every installation is carried out with the same focus and respect.
This isn’t mass production. It’s tailored engineering, backed by a team that takes full responsibility for every outcome.
When we hand over your finished window, we’re not just giving you a product. We’re standing behind it.
From embassies to listed homes – our clients have something worth protecting
Our clients don’t choose from catalogues. They expect tailored solutions. They live in homes with history – or in homes that require discretion. Often both. They’ve been told by others what can’t be done – and they come to us for the solution.
We serve:
These clients don’t want sales pitches. They want calm certainty. Clear process. Quiet strength. That’s what we offer.
We don’t work for everyone – and we’re not trying to. But if your project demands both heritage fidelity and structural resilience, you’re in the right place.
We’re here to do it properly
We’re not in this for volume. Or for trends. Or for easy wins. We’re in this to create something that lasts – and to do it properly, from the inside out.
What drives us is the challenge of building things no one else can. Creating systems that meet the expectations of conservation officers and the demands of modern security. Making windows that pass as original – but perform like infrastructure.
We are obsessed with detail: how a sash slides, how a joint sits, how a lock feels. We care how it looks from the pavement – and how it responds to a crowbar.
We don’t aim to impress loudly. We aim to protect quietly. That’s the Sash Vault way – thoughtful, exacting, and entirely uncompromising.
We keep our focus narrow so our results stay sharp
Our security sash windows are trusted across the UK – in listed townhouses, private estates, embassies, and high-security residences. Architects recommend us. Planners approve us. Clients rely on us to protect what matters, without changing how it looks.
But we’re not scaling fast or selling out. We grow by refining our system, training our team, expanding our showroom access, and deepening the relationships with those who share our standards.
We continue to develop bespoke solutions, improve our patented design, and respond to the needs of buildings that other companies avoid. More curved frames. More demanding specifications. More pressure – handled without compromise.
Our vision isn’t to be the biggest. It’s to remain the most trusted – for clients who understand that real protection doesn’t shout. It just works.
Ready to start your own Sash Vault story?
Whether you’re restoring a listed building, securing a family home, or protecting a residence with discretion – we’re here to help.
Request a professional survey or visit our showroom to see the system up close. Secure your home, without compromising its character.
59 Chalton St
London, NW1 1HY