Windows for Kent Homes: A Guide by House Type

The right windows for your home depend more on when and how it was built than on anything else. Kent has one of the widest mixes of houses in England: timber-framed Wealden cottages hung with clay tiles, Dutch-gabled houses in Sandwich, Georgian seaside squares in Margate and Ramsgate, Regency crescents in Tunbridge Wells, and Victorian streets in every town the railway reached.

This guide sets out the main types of home across Kent and Medway, where each is most common, and the windows and doors that suit it best. It also covers the conservation area and Article 4 rules that apply in each district, and what living in the Kent Downs or High Weald means for new windows.

Aliluxe designs, supplies and installs aluminium, uPVC and timber windows and doors across Kent, including Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. Every recommendation here comes from what we see on surveys.

Medieval, Wealden and timber-framed houses

Kent's oldest houses are timber-framed, often hidden behind later brick fronts, tile hanging or white-painted weatherboarding. They are most common in the Weald and in the old market and cloth towns.

Where you'll find them

• Cranbrook and Sissinghurst: Cranbrook was a medieval cloth town, and in both places timber framing is the main building tradition. Many older houses are weatherboarded, with steep Kent peg-tile roofs.

• Westerham: a market town since the 13th century (its market charter dates from 1227), with many surviving timber-framed buildings, and local red brick, tile hanging and painted weatherboarding.

• Tonbridge and West Malling: medieval layouts with Georgian fronts added in the 18th century over 16th- and 17th-century frames.

• Rochester, Faversham and Sandwich: Rochester High Street has buildings older than 1500, Faversham has jettied timber-framed houses, and Sandwich has been called the most complete medieval town in England. Its 17th-century Dutch House has a shaped Dutch gable.

What the windows are usually like

• Timber casements, often with small panes or leaded lights. Casements were normal in Kent until the 18th century, when sashes started to become the norm.

• Later Georgian sashes, put in when older houses were refronted.

• Windows that are rarely square, set in walls that have moved over the centuries.

What we recommend

• Listed buildings need listed building consent for almost any window replacement or alteration. Timber is usually expected, and secondary glazing is often the most practical upgrade.

• In conservation areas, timber or flush casement windows are the closest match to old casements. Keep the original opening pattern and pane sizes.

• Every opening is measured individually, so frames fit walls that are out of square.

• At the back, where the rules allow, French doors or slim sliding doors in a heritage colour open a cottage onto the garden without looking out of place.

Georgian and Regency town houses and seaside terraces

Margate was one of England's first seaside resorts, and the first to offer sea-water baths to visitors. Kent's spa and county towns grew at the same time. These houses are tall, symmetrical and built around the sash window.

Where you'll find them

• Margate: Cecil Square, laid out in 1769, was the first Georgian square at a seaside resort, though none of its original buildings survive.

• Ramsgate: work began on the harbour in 1750, and by 1800 Ramsgate was a fashionable resort with new crescents and squares. Ramsgate is Thanet's largest conservation area.

• Broadstairs, Sandgate and Deal: Georgian and Victorian terraces along the Broadstairs promenades, late 18th-century houses and grander villas at Sandgate, and Deal's Middle Street, Kent's first conservation area (1968).

• Royal Tunbridge Wells: Calverley Park Crescent, built in 1828–35 to designs by Decimus Burton, is listed with sashes that keep most of their glazing bars, and first-floor French windows.

• Maidstone: Ashford Road was laid out in 1814–15 with fashionable villas built up to about 1860, in yellow stock brick with low slate roofs.

What the windows are usually like

• Painted timber sliding sashes, typically six-over-six panes in Georgian houses and larger panes from the early 19th century.

• Bow and bay windows on seafront terraces, and full-height curved bays on some Regency villas.

• French windows opening onto first-floor balconies.

What we recommend

• Sliding sash windows keep the original look. REHAU uPVC sliding sash windows give the traditional proportions with modern insulation, and timber sash is the choice where the council requires it.

• Match the glazing bars to the originals. Broadstairs' Town Design Statement asks for no change to the style and type of window frames, and encourages small panes.

• On exposed seafronts, ask about hardware and seals rated for coastal weather.

• Front doors: a panelled REHAU front door with a period-style fanlight suits most Georgian terraces.

Victorian and Edwardian homes

The railway reached Ashford and Tonbridge in 1842 and Folkestone in 1843, and Kent's towns grew fast around their stations. Ashford's population went from 3,000 in 1841 to 13,000 by 1901.

Where you'll find them

• Ashford and Tonbridge: middle-class terraces south of the churchyard and large villas on Elwick Road from 1865 in Ashford, and rapid growth in Tonbridge after the railway arrived.

• Folkestone: grand stucco villas on and around the Leas from the early 1850s, many now flats.

• Herne Bay and Cliftonville: Herne Bay was one of the country's first planned seaside towns, laid out from 1830, and the railway arrived in 1861. In Cliftonville, the Edgar Road and Sweyne Road area has tall Italianate terraces, mostly built between the late 1870s and 1899.

• Dover, Deal and Faversham: Dover's Dour Street, Park Street and Park Place were laid out in 1859–63, Deal has late Victorian and Edwardian streets such as Blenheim Road, and Faversham has new terraces built along the railway.

• Rochester, Chatham and Gravesend: These Medway and Thames-side towns contain streets of substantial Victorian and Edwardian houses, including villas and semi-detached properties. In Rochester, the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw rows of substantial villas and semi-detached houses develop, as documented in the council's conservation-area appraisal.

What the windows are usually like

• Timber sliding sashes, often two-over-two or with one large pane per sash.

• Canted bay windows, frequently rising through two storeys.

• Panelled front doors with stained or etched glass.

What we recommend

• Sliding sash windows are the right choice for most of these houses: REHAU uPVC sliding sash windows, or timber where the council requires it. In Gravesham, for example, uPVC sliding sashes can be approved but standard hinged uPVC windows are refused.

• For bays, keep the sash style across all faces, or use REHAU bay windows where the bay already has casements.

• At the back, a kitchen extension with aluminium bi-fold or sliding doors is the most common upgrade we fit on these houses.

• Flats in converted villas need the freeholder's consent and often a planning application, so check before you order.

1920s and 1930s semis and post-war homes

Between the wars, private developers expanded suburban housing around Kent's towns, building estates and ribbon developments of predominantly semi-detached houses. This growth was particularly evident in north-west Kent, close to London, and in commuter towns such as Sevenoaks. Examples include the Bradbourne and Wickenden estates in Sevenoaks, while Canterbury's northern and southern suburbs also saw substantial interwar development.

Where you'll find them

• North-west Kent: Interwar suburban development expanded around Dartford, Gravesend and the Medway towns, adding streets and estates of semi-detached houses to existing urban areas. The extent and date of development varied between towns and neighbourhoods.

• Suburban Canterbury, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells: Interwar and post-war housing expanded around the edges of these historic Kent towns, adding suburban streets of semi-detached and detached houses beyond their older centres.

• Post-war estates and new housing: Post-war housing estates and later residential developments can be found across Kent's districts, ranging from council-built estates to private suburban housing. Ashford is a notable example of sustained expansion, from estates such as Bockhanger and Stanhope in the 1960s to large planned communities on the town's southern edge.

What the windows are usually like

• Timber or steel (Crittall) casements, often with leaded lights in the upper panes. Gravesham's guidance names 1920s and 1930s metal and timber casements as a traditional window type in its own right.

• A two-storey bay at the front and a recessed porch.

• First-generation uPVC from the 1980s and 1990s, now reaching the end of its life.

What we recommend

• Casement windows suit these houses best. REHAU uPVC casement windows are good value, and Origin OW-80 aluminium gives a slimmer, flush finish.

• Where the originals were steel, heritage steel-look windows recreate the thin Crittall sightlines with modern performance.

• For the bay, REHAU bay and bow windows keep the original shape. Ask about a structural check, as many 1930s bays have no proper lintel.

• Upper floors and flats: tilt and turn windows clean easily from inside, and Origin OW-70 slimline gives a modern look with more glass.

Conservation areas, Article 4 and listed buildings in Kent

Before you choose windows, check three things with your council: whether your home is listed, whether it is in a conservation area, and whether an Article 4 direction applies.

• Most houses, including houses in conservation areas without an Article 4 direction, can usually replace windows without planning permission, as long as the new ones are similar in appearance to the old (Planning Portal).

• Flats and maisonettes don't have the same permitted development rights as houses. Identical, like-for-like windows usually don't need permission, but windows that look different may, and if you're a leaseholder you may also need consent from your landlord, freeholder or management company (Planning Portal).

• Listed buildings need listed building consent for any significant works, inside or out, including windows (Planning Portal).

• An Article 4 direction removes permitted development rights, so even a like-for-like replacement can need an application. The Kent directions that cover windows are listed below.

• The Kent Downs and High Weald National Landscapes (formerly AONBs) cover a large part of the county. Living in one adds limits on things like cladding and extensions, but it does not on its own stop you replacing windows like for like (legislation.gov.uk).

• Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay: Article 4 directions control alterations to house frontages in Canterbury city centre and parts of Whitstable and Herne Bay. The council's criteria (2001) refuse standard side- or top-hung uPVC units in place of timber sashes, but allow uPVC sliding sashes to replace plain Victorian and Edwardian sashes (not small-pane Georgian ones), and approve uPVC on suburban houses built after 1920, subject to the window style (Canterbury City Council).

• Gravesham: an Article 4 direction covers family houses in 20 of the borough's 23 conservation areas (one more is pending), and requires permission to alter or replace windows and doors on elevations facing a road, footpath or open space. Its 2020 guidance can approve well-detailed uPVC sliding sashes in place of Victorian and Edwardian sashes, but refuses standard hinged uPVC windows in their place (Gravesham Borough Council).

• Medway: Article 4 directions in nine conservation areas, including Historic Rochester, Star Hill to Sun Pier, Brompton and Gillingham Park, require permission for replacing windows and doors on frontages (Medway Council).

• Swale: Faversham's Article 4 direction (2007) requires permission for replacement doors, windows and roof coverings on elevations facing a road, waterway or open space (Swale Borough Council).

• Thanet: Article 4 directions in the Ramsgate, Ramsgate Marina extension and Pegwell conservation areas apply to named properties, for example houses on Albion Hill, Kent Terrace and Prospect Terrace, and cover replacement windows and doors. Check the council's list for your address. Elsewhere in its conservation areas, the council says a house doesn't need permission if it keeps the character, colour and opening pattern, even if the material changes. Flats need permission for any change to their windows (Thanet District Council).

• Dover District: Article 4(2) Directions apply in Sandwich and Deal's Middle Street conservation area. These directions can restrict window and door alterations, but the specific controls should be checked against the relevant direction and property address (Dover District Council).

• Ashford: Article 4 Directions apply to mapped areas of the borough and can restrict works including the installation of new windows, roof alterations, extensions and boundary changes. The applicable restrictions depend on the property's location and the specific direction.

• Important: An Article 4 Direction does not necessarily prohibit new windows; it removes permitted development rights for specified work, meaning planning permission must be obtained where the direction applies (Ashford Borough Council).

• Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone, Folkestone and Hythe, and Dartford: Window-related planning restrictions vary by property and conservation area. None of these six councils has a borough-wide Article 4 rule covering replacement windows. However, Maidstone has Article 4 directions in some conservation areas (Headcorn, Lenham, Loose and Holy Trinity in Maidstone), and Dartford has one in the Greenhithe conservation area, so individual directions and listed-building controls must be checked. Conservation-area guidance in Sevenoaks and Maidstone encourages replacements to match original windows, while appraisals in Sevenoaks and Folkestone and Hythe identify uPVC replacements as potentially harmful to historic character.

• Important distinction: Guidance discouraging uPVC does not automatically mean it is prohibited. Whether permission is required depends on the property's status, the precise direction and the proposed work.

Work done without the right consent can lead to enforcement and the windows being replaced at your cost. We check these rules for every survey, and can help with the application if one is needed.

Kent districts at a glance

District	Typical housing	Conservation areas	Windows that often suit
Sevenoaks	Westerham and village cores, Sevenoaks town suburbs	41	Casements in villages, sash in town
Tunbridge Wells	Regency Tunbridge Wells, Wealden Cranbrook and Sissinghurst	25	Sash in the town, flush casements in the Weald
Tonbridge and Malling	Medieval Tonbridge and West Malling, oast conversions	60	Sash, flush casements
Maidstone	Regency villas, Wealden villages	41	Sash, casements in villages
Ashford	Victorian railway town, Tenterden, new estates	43	Sash, casements
Canterbury	Medieval city, Victorian Whitstable and Herne Bay	95	Sash; uPVC can be approved on post-1920 suburban houses
Swale	Medieval and Victorian Faversham, Sheerness	51	Sash, check Article 4 in Faversham
Thanet	Georgian and Victorian Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs	27	Sash and bays, check Article 4 in Ramsgate
Folkestone and Hythe	Stucco villas on the Leas, medieval Hythe	21	Sash, tilt and turn for flats
Dover	Medieval Sandwich, Georgian Deal, Victorian Dover	57	Sash, check Article 4 in Sandwich and Deal
Dartford	Town centre, Greenhithe, interwar suburbs	6	Casements, sash in conservation areas
Gravesham	Victorian Gravesend, interwar suburbs	23	uPVC sliding sash where allowed, casements
Medway	Historic Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham	24	Sash, check Article 4 in nine areas

Frequently asked questions

Can I fit uPVC windows in a Kent conservation area?

Sometimes. Each council is different: Canterbury refuses standard hinged uPVC in place of timber sashes but can approve uPVC sliding sashes for plain Victorian and Edwardian ones, and uPVC on suburban houses built after 1920, subject to the window style, and Gravesham accepts uPVC sliding sashes but not standard hinged windows. Where an Article 4 direction covers windows, you need planning permission first. We check the rules for your street at survey.

Do I need planning permission for new windows in the Kent Downs or High Weald?

Not usually. Being in a National Landscape doesn't on its own remove your right to replace windows like for like. You will need consent if your home is listed (listed building consent), covered by an Article 4 direction, or a flat changing the look of its windows.

What windows suit a timber-framed or weatherboarded cottage?

Casements, with the original pane layout. Flush casements are the closest modern match, and timber is usually expected if the cottage is listed. Secondary glazing is often the best upgrade for listed homes.

Do I need permission to replace windows in a flat?

Often. Identical, like-for-like replacements usually don't need planning permission, but windows that look different may, and rules vary by council. If you're a leaseholder, check your lease, as you may also need the freeholder's or management company's consent.

Do you cover my part of Kent?

Yes. We work across Kent, including Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Maidstone, Canterbury and the coast.

More window guides

We have guides like this for Surrey, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, and for Central, North, South, East and West London.

Get a free survey

Tell us about your home and we'll recommend the windows that suit it, check whether it is listed, in a conservation area or covered by an Article 4 direction, and give you a fixed quote. Call 020 4581 8351, email sales@aliluxe.co.uk or request a quote online. You can also browse our uPVC windows and doors and aluminium windows.

Please note: This guide is for general information only and is not planning, legal or professional advice. Planning rules, Article 4 directions and council guidance change over time, and how they apply depends on your property, so always check with your local planning authority before you start work (and with your landlord, freeholder or management company if you're a leaseholder). Replacement windows and doors must also meet Building Regulations. Historical and local details come from council, Historic England and other published sources and were believed to be correct when this guide was written in October 2026. Aliluxe cannot accept responsibility for decisions made solely on the basis of this guide, and we'll confirm the rules that apply to your home at survey.