Notting Hill Living
Fanlights
Purpose of fanlights
The practical benefit was that they allowed light to enter the corridor behind the front door. From an architectural point of view, they gave the designer the opportunity to have a rounded arch above a square door and to fill the space with intricate designs in glass and metal.
Fan-like
They were called fanlights because originally they were semi-circular, and since early Georgian glass could only be produced in small panes, they were separated by glazing bars radiating from a central point, which gave the appearance of an open fan. Many later fanlights were rectangular, but the name was kept.
Varieties
Sometimes the pattern of glazing bars was made in fretwork cut from a single piece of wood. Even ones constructed from separate bars were often ornamented with plasterwork and hand carving. Metal fan lights were used from the 1770s, allowing more varied and complicated patterns. Bats wings and tear drops were popular designs.
Fashions
Fanlights were introduced in the 1720s and were a popular feature of design until the 1840s. Fanlights were most elaborate in the period from 1770. By 1800 designs were simpler and more geometric. By the 1820s the shape was rectangular rather than semi-circular. By the 1840s fanlights had become unfashionable.
