Sliding doors in Framfield, Blackboys and Palehouse

Framfield is about two miles east of Uckfield, on the southern part of the Weald. The parish is large, covering some 6,700 acres, and includes the separate village of Blackboys and the hamlet of Palehouse.

An old parish

Framfield appears in the Domesday Book as Framelle. Its church, dedicated to Thomas Becket, dates from the 13th century; its wooden parts burned in 1509, its tower fell in the 17th century, and the whole church including the tower was restored in 1891. For centuries the parish lived partly from charcoal burning for the Wealden iron industry, which faded in the early 19th century when iron production moved to the Midlands. The Blackboys Inn began as a 14th-century coaching house, and Tickerage Mill near Blackboys was once Vivien Leigh's home.

The conservation area

Framfield has a conservation area, with a draft character appraisal published by Wealden District Council. Inside it, the council will be looking for changes that respect the older buildings around the church. A listed house needs listed building consent for any change of window or door. An unlisted house usually keeps its permitted development rights for replacements that look similar to what is there.

What usually suits

Outside the old centre, and in much of Blackboys, there are later houses and conversions where a two-pane aluminium slider or aluminium French doors work well. The former Methodist church at Blackboys, for example, has been turned into homes. In the older part of Framfield, French doors with slimmer frames, or a flush casement window style, tend to suit the buildings better than a wide sheet of glass. A surveyor will look at what can be seen from the street before suggesting anything.

If your house is listed and timber is expected, the installer can quote for timber doors and windows as well.