Former Edwardian pump house showcases striking timber doors in Felixstowe
This former Edwardian pump house on the Suffolk coast had sat derelict for many years, before being lovingly restored and converted to a residence 30 years ago.
Now home to Mr & Mrs Baines, we were delighted to be commissioned to replace the entrance doors on such a beautiful and historic building. This project also gave us the opportunity to enhance the property with new timber doors and windows throughout. It also included tilt and turn doors for the first-floor Juliet balcony, a solution that offered Mr & Mrs Baines something a conventional French door simply couldn’t.
The new installation is a timber Polstead double front door design with toplight and sidelights, finished in a colour complementary to Farrow & Ball ‘Studio Green’. To complete the design, 18mm astragal glazing bars were incorporated and a Samuel Heath antique brass unlacquered ring knocker, contour shoulder handle and medium sized letter plate was chosen.
Of the result, Mrs Baines said:
“I adore the fact it lets in so much more light, and it’s much easier to use now too.
Overall, I am delighted to have been able to enhance my home, and give it the character it deserves!”
In addition to their striking new entrance, we enhanced Mr & Mrs Baines’ property further still with French doors, French windows, a casement window and a stable door, all from our timber range, as you’ll see in the gallery below.
Tilt and turn for the Juliet balcony
Among the additional timber work at the pump house, the first-floor Juliet balcony doors are worth a closer look. Rather than fitting standard French doors, which would have been the conventional choice, we suggested to Mr and Mrs Baines, the tilt and turn option.
It’s a subtle difference that makes a practical one. A standard French door is either open or closed. Tilt and turn gives you a third option: tilt one or both panels inwards from the top for controlled ventilation, while the door remains essentially closed. On an upper floor behind a Juliet balcony, that’s a real advantage — fresh air without fully opening the doors, and a tilt gap too narrow for anyone to pass through.
There’s a visual benefit too. Because tilt and turn doors open inwards, there’s no need for an external handle or the blanking plate you’d typically see on an outward-opening French door with other brands. The outside face stays clean and uncluttered , just luxurious timber, quiality safety glass and the Georgian glazing bars that tie the doors into the character of the rest of the building.
Why opt for Samuel Heath door furniture?
Combining perfect function and beautiful form. Each piece of Samuel Heath premium brassware is formed from pure solid brass, hand polished and finished with a high-quality electroplating process. Each process takes place in their Birmingham factory, there is absolute control over manufacturing, quality and environmental responsibility. British imagined and designed, they have managed to develop hand crafted and eco-conscious brassware that conserves materials and reduces carbon emissions.
Each piece is sure to delight the senses.
Choosing timber as a material.
We use products supplied by Timber Windows. Their core products have been perfected over time, all with improved engineering and security in mind. The range provides the basis for products that can be tailored to any home, that are also historically correct, without compromising on technology. This high-performance product provides longevity and durability, ensuring we are playing our part in using less resources for the benefit of the environment and our customers. Timber is a natural product so it can be repaired to look as good as new, contrasting with the nature of many man-made materials.
By extending the life of the product it reduces the need to buy more. If you buy better, you buy less. The guarantees provided are industry leading.
The Burgess Group. More Than Just Windows and Doors
Every project we take on is different, and that’s The Burgess Group difference. From specifying tilt and turn doors where a conventional French door wouldn’t have delivered, to designing a bespoke entrance that pays tribute to a building’s industrial past, it’s the product knowledge and attention to detail that sets the finished result apart.
We’ve been helping homeowners across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire make the right choices for their properties for over 25 years. Not just fitting windows and doors, but understanding which products genuinely suit each home, each setting and each customer need. If you’d like to talk through your own project, visit us at our showrooms in Woodbridge, Bury St Edmunds or Norwich. We’d love to work with you on transforming your home.