# Demerara window

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Colonial architecture-style window

For other uses of Demerara, see [Demerara (disambiguation)](/source/Demerara_(disambiguation)).

[Francia Great House](/source/Francia_Great_House), [Barbados](/source/Barbados), has Demerara windows.

**Demerara windows** were built primarily into 18th- and 19th-century [Colonial architecture](/source/Colonial_architecture)-styled buildings[a] to cool homes in hot climates, such as [Guyana](/source/Guyana), before the invention of [air conditioning](/source/Air_conditioning). [Demerara](/source/Demerara) is a historical region of Guyana.

The [window](/source/Window) design includes perforated sides and [louvres](/source/Louvre_(window)) to block direct sunlight. They are shuttered [sash windows](/source/Sash_windows) with the shutter hinged at the top so it could be propped open, sloping outward.[2][3] They were generally propped open with a stick.[4] At the window sill, a container of ice, water, or a potted plant helps cool warm air as it passes through the window into the building. The windows are generally fitted in the upper floors. Initially, this type of window was just used in the homes of the wealthy, but spread over time to the homes of other classes of people.[2][3]

They were generally made of pine because the wood was less likely to move than native timbers in heat and humidity. It was generally made with twelve panes, which is a [Georgian-style architectural](/source/Georgian_architecture) detail.[2]

In other parts of the Caribbean, particularly the British colonies and territories such as [Grenada](/source/Grenada),[5] the name came to be generally applied to a window that opens outwards from hinges at the top.[5]

## See also

- [Airflow window](/source/Airflow_window)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** It was also used into the 20th century, such as Hayes Court (1910), one of the [Magnificent Seven Houses](/source/Magnificent_Seven_Houses) in [Trinidad and Tobago](/source/Trinidad_and_Tobago)[1] and the [Francia Great House](/source/Francia_Great_House) (late 19th century or early 20th century).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago (January 18, 2016). ["Hayes Court"](http://nationaltrust.tt/location/hayes-court/). *National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago*. Retrieved November 21, 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Westmas_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Westmas_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Westmas_3-2) Rory, Westmas (May 31, 2010). ["Architecture - Building Under the Sun"](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/guyana-review/05/31/architecture/). *Stabroek News*. Retrieved June 2, 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Murtland_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Murtland_4-1) Haley, Murtland (April 23, 2017). ["The Demerara Window – the Colonial 'AC'"](https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/04/23/the-demerara-window-the-colonial-ac/). *Kaieteur News*. Retrieved June 2, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Winer2009_5-0)** Lise Winer (January 16, 2009). [*Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago: On Historical Principles*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_n82hsbDJBMC&pg=PA290). McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 290. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7735-7607-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7735-7607-0).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Noble2009_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Noble2009_6-1) Allen Noble (18 September 2009). [*Traditional Buildings: A Global Survey of Structural Forms and Cultural Functions*](https://books.google.com/books?id=MYkAAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA206). I.B.Tauris. pp. 206–. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-85771-745-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-85771-745-0).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Demerara window](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demerara_window) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demerara_window?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.