- Using a rubber mallet and a strong pallet knife, remove the beading around the window. You might think they’re part of the frame, but they’re actually separate on the inside of the frame and can be taken out by using pallet knife to prize them out. Start with one of the longest beads first and leave the top bead until last.
- Give the glass a little tap to loosen it if it doesn’t come out straight away, then the whole unit should slide out easily. Just make sure it falls towards you and not back out onto the ground below!
- Clear any debris that has found its way into the frame with a brush. Add spacers at the bottom of the frame – these could be pieces of plastic.
- Get your new sealed unit (make sure you measure the glass before you buy one so you know which size to get) and carefully take it out of the packaging. Look for the British Standard mark – that shows you the bottom of the glass.
- Lift the glass into the frame, starting with the bottom first, and make sure that it fits square in the frame before taking the spacers out.
- Use a little washing up liquid to spread along the beads to make it easier when you slide them back into the frame. If they simply push and clip back in, you can use something like a block of wood to help you push them in correctly. Put them back in reverse order to how you took them out.
Bellingham
Bellingham is an area in south east London, in the London Borough of Lewisham. Its neighbouring districts are Catford, Downham and Sydenham. The Ravensbourne River runs through the middle of Bellingham, also to the west and east it is bordered by railway lines working south from Catford.
The real name Bellingham means ‘the water-meadow owned by Beora’s people’, and was the true name of the medieval manor in the region. The true name was preserved by the farm in the area, Bellingham Railway Station and the Bellingham Estate. Other historical names have already been preserved by the street brands of the estate, which are connected with King Alfred, who was thought to have been the lord of the manor of Lewisham, and were extracted from the names of mills, houses and areas in the area.
Bellingham was farmland until the Bellingham Estate was built, between 1920 and 1923. London City Council built about 2600 houses and flats during this time period. Bellingham Estate was among the many large estates constructed by London City Council following the First World War to assist with slum clearance and reduce overcrowding. As there was plenty of land available most of the dwellings built were two-story homes, and there was plenty of green, open space.
Today, Bellingham is a localised town centre. Its traditional is Randlesdown Road, which includes a supermarket, a fitness center, hairdressers and multiple restaurants and food outlets. It also has a sixth form college, and a church and a library. Bellingham boasts many well-known past and present residents, like the singer/song-writer Kate Bush, the previous Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, and the footballer Ian Wright.
