What is a window board holder (schothouder)?
A window board holder (Dutch: schothouder) is a small metal part, often shaped like a half-moon or an eye, fixed to the side of the stiles of an old window frame. With two or more of these holders, a loose timber board (Dutch: raamschot) could quickly be placed in the window, locked and removed again. They are found mainly on ground-floor sash windows in buildings from the decades around 1900.
The phenomenon was described in building archaeology only fairly recently. Edwin Orsel of Erfgoed Leiden noticed “minuscule little half-moons of metal” in historic window frames; he published about them in the Nieuwsbrief Bouwhistorie (no. 67, November 2019) of the Dutch Stichting Bouwhistorie Nederland. The name schothouder is a modern one: what the parts were originally called is not yet known.
The board covered the lower part of the window. Its purpose was probably mainly security against sneak-in burglary when the sash window was open, for example in the evening and at night. They have also been found on shop windows and entrance doors.
Application
Window board holders are no longer used today, but they are of interest when researching and restoring historic facades:
- Recognising them: look on the inside of the frame stiles, low down near the bottom sill, for small metal tabs, eyes or half-rings, often painted over several times.
- Do not simply remove them: they tell something about the former use of the building. Leave them in place during painting or frame repairs and paint over them.
- Document: take photos and record their position. Finds are of interest to the municipal heritage department or a building historian.
- Listed buildings: replacing historic window frames often requires permission. Discuss with the local authority whether the frame with its board holders should be retained.
Related Terms
- Shutter catch
- Threshold
- Burglar resistant
- Door and window hardware
- Listed building (monument)
- Lock bolt
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