A guide to our traditional Victorian awnings, canopies and blinds
Traditional & Heritage Awnings Examples
For Victorian Awnings, Traditional Awnings & Heritage Awnings – call the experts on Freephone: 0800 919117
Deans are traditional awning specialists
Back in 1894, John Dean, the founder of Deans Awnings manufactured the first Victorian Awning. Our business was built on manufacturing traditional awnings for shops and pubs from the Victorian era onwards. Today, our traditional awnings stay faithful to that original design combined with a number of technological improvements.
Our traditional & heritage awning styles remain a popular solution for high street shops, flagship stores, restaurants, brasseries, cafes, pubs, bars, hotels and shopping outlets. Their classic lines have stood the test of time and remain a benchmark in awning design.
We offer customers three traditional style awnings. The Deans Awning is our classic original Victorian Awning. There is also the Greenwich® Awning and the Marlesbury Awning which are influenced by continental-style heritage awnings. All three of these awnings are approved choices in conservation areas and for grade-listed buildings.
Hand-crafted traditional awnings from design to installation
At Deans, we have all the necessary expertise to produce a quality traditional awning. All our heritage awnings are totally bespoke in manufacture.
The first stage of a project is to conduct a full site survey. The survey will take into account any structural or architectural needs, as well as taking detailed measurements. We use the measurements to produce detailed technical drawings. With regard to the design stage, our in-house team can either work independently or they can collaborate with architects, design studios or directly with the business owner.
The detailed design drawings are signed off and sent to our London Workshop to be manufactured. Each traditional awning is hand-crafted to your bespoke measurements using sustainably sourced timber for the box and canvas for the cloth. The finished awning receives a weather-resistance treatment to improve durability and strength. The finished traditional awning is then ready to be installed by our expert installation team, who will ensure your commercial canopy is fitted to the correct specifications.
Traditional Awnings – 6 key reasons for choosing a Victorian awning heritage solution
1. Design
The design and styling of a traditional awning is a key element. These heritage awnings offer excellent opportunities for customisation.Our talented and experienced design team are skilled at working with or collaborating with commercial awning design agencies or we can work independently to produce your final design. On request, we can provide detailed 3D-modelling and also supply fabric samples. For grade-listed buildings in conservation areas and can provide detailed drawings for planning permission.
2. Craftsmanship
Every traditional awning is manufactured using quality materials by our team in the London Workshop. Each member of the team can hand-craft your traditional awning to a level of precision that comes from years of experience. Some projects may have additional challenges, whether it’s the curvature of the building or obstructions. Detailed measurements and drawings are a key part of getting this stage correct. The finished traditional awning is then ready to be installed by our expert team of fitters.
3. Quality Materials
At Deans we use only high-grade hardwood timber for all our traditional awning housings. The arms and brackets are steel-forged and then powder-coated for added resilience. All timber-work is hand-treated and fabrics are solution-dyed to maintain resistance. The end result of all these processes, is the increased life span of your traditional Victorian canopy. Sustainability is also important to Deans. To enable this, we try to ensure all our materials come from a sustainable source and we also have a dedicated Environmental Manager who’s role is to ensure all staff adhere to of our environmental policy, both at work and on site.
4. Customisation
A traditional awning offers many options. Firstly there is the choice of traditional awning style. Deans offer the Victorian style Deans Awning or the Marlesbury Awning or the Greenwich Awning? Do you want a valance and if so, what style and length? That is just the start, you can also choose whether it is retractable or fixed, manually operated or remote control. Some traditional awnings can also be embellished with ornate finials. All these choices make your traditional awning unique and that is before we even take into account the branding and the colour of fabric, metalwork and timber.
5. Provenance
Deans are very proud to have designed and built the original Victorian Awning back in 1896. The traditional style shop blind soon became a hit with shop owners and pub owners alike. Deans established an original workshop in Putney, where we established our position as the leading manufacturer of awnings in the UK. Our original Victorian Awning has become a design classic that is much copied by other companies, but never bettered. The classic lines and styling sit beautifully on heritage properties or modern facias.
6. Weather
The British weather is always an important factor in your awning choice. This is especially so with regard to restaurants and pubs, where outdoor dining and drinking is a key element. A retractable traditional awning provides your business with the perfect flexibility, offering protection from rain or much needed shade from excessive heat. A further weather-related service we provide to all our customers is email warnings for ‘Amber & Red Weather Warnings’. This helps our customers to respond to adverse weather conditions.
Traditional & Heritage Awnings – Featured Project
Location: The Royal Exchange, Bank, London
Awning: Deans Awning
18 traditional awnings on this grade-listed building in the city which is now a retail space. The awnings follow the main curved elevation.
Did you know Deans manufactured the first ever Victorian awning in 1894
John Dean founded Deans Awnings in the 1890s. His original Victorian awning design, the Deans Awning, was an instant success with traders and retailers. 130 years later and its timeless appeal remains as strong as ever, the only changes being made to the materials and finishes.
