House of Ming Chinese restaurant at the St James’s Court Hotel in London had four new traditional Victorian awnings fitted this week. The vibrant choice of turquoise is a bold statement that works well with this hundred year old building. We’ve been making Victorian awnings for a very long time now and have become pretty good at them I can assure you! We have improved the awning design over time to ensure they can cope with the British inclement weather. For example we have replaced some of the boxing with a more resistant aluminium casing at the top and back. In the older timber version, the water or snow would rest on the wood and slowly eat into it. We still use hardwood cheeks and a timber from lath and tacker and the arms are bent and designed to suit the exact requirements of the building. The awning is operated by a traditional pull down pole. They’re still my favourite awnings, timeless and classic.