curtain poles

[plasticpigeon]

Hello there. Does anyone know a decent place to get inoffensive curtain poles for not too much money, ie less than £50 all in?? I'd quite like brass if poss but if not then wood is good too. The sheds all seem to sell shiny brass effect steel and funny coloured wood. I am tempted to buy some separate finials and brass poles from the metal stockholder and make some up but it's more faff if there is some secret shop that only the enlightened know about!!! Many thanks.

 

[LadyArowana]

Lots of hits show up on e.bay http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=curtain+pole&_sacat=0&_from=R40 my guess is that cheap things will be fairly poor quality, unless you find a private seller who is getting rid of some used ones, but you might be lucky.

My top tip once you do get them is to put the right number of rings on before you secure the finial. I had mine installed, and a lovely job they did. But when the curtains arrived ( I was moving them from elsewhere ) I needed to add a few extra rings. The poles attached to the brackets and finials using teeny weeny grub screws, which were a huge pain to locate and undo, and extremely difficult to find when they fell onto the floor. The only saving grace was that being a girl, the spare rings and allen key I needed were in my small box of useful things under the cloakroom sink labelled "Curtain Things", I don't really know why a boy would need a shed or possibly 2 and a garage for the same function, but Mr P has assured me that it's true. :lol:

 

[worms]

teeny weeny grub screws... extremely difficult to find when they fell onto the floor.

Been there!

The only saving grace was that being a girl, the spare rings and allen key I needed were in my small box of useful things under the cloakroom sink labelled "Curtain Things", I don't really know why a boy would need a shed or possibly 2 and a garage for the same function, but Mr P has assured me that it's true. :lol:

No, we just need a man drawer!

 

[Moo]

Our first house was a Victorian semi (bigger than our current one, but definitely not grander) and we used a hefty old curtain pole in the front room. My grandad was most amused at our excitement about our junk-shop find - "we used to use those things for firewood".

It was a simple 3" diameter pole, stained and varnished, with chunky turned wooden finials that screwed on and off. It also had lots of wooden rings.
A local blacksmith made us simple brackets, curved to create a snug fit for the pole.
Of course, a 3" pole would probably be overpowering in our little houses, but something similar would certainly be right for the period (and cheap!).

ps
I've just found a place where you can buy them. I googled Large Curtain Rings and found a place called Curtain Corner that sells the whole caboosh - pole, finial and rings.

 

[Feltwell]

Not quite £50 all in PP, but I & a number of others on here have black iron curtain poles from a blacksmith who's not too far from you, outside Droitwich- Genuine Forgery - see this old thread with links to more old threads beyond:-

http://periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12506&p=166749&hilit=genuine+forgery#p166749

We've a mix here of his poles - which will outlast the house - and cheap wooden poles from DIY sheds, fitted by a previous owner. The wooden poles are OK but I've had to do a few repairs.

Originally I went to Stuart as I needed a custom made pole for a bay window, and all the kits you can buy have flimsy joints and would never last. He did such a good job making a one piece iron pole which fitted perfectly, that I've used him for numerous other things since, not just curtain poles. From memory a straight pole up to 8' in length with plain ball end finials is about £65, more if you want to go for fancy finials. The quality of his work is excellent.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Moo, thanks that's a good shop. I didn't find them om my search. The brass poles are a stupid price but luckily stockholders are much more reasonable!. I like the brackets and the brass ball ended finials look nice to me too, so 2 finials 2 brackets and a pole from the metal stockholers with some wooden rings would work out ok I think. Maybe a bit more than £50 but not much. The wood ones are no cheaper which is weird!

 

[plasticpigeon]

Thanks Feltwell, that is another option to look into. My girlfriend prefers cast iron to brass, but I prefer brass!!! I just remember spending what seemed like a fortune on rubbish things from b and q for my last rented house and I'm not willing to do that again so will make the effort this time!.

 

[eezageeza]

Here'a another source for ironwork poles - maybe not the cheapest, but excellent quality. We've equipped most of the rooms in our house with their poles over the last ten years or so (no need to hurry these things after all!).

They usually have a 10% off sale in january.

http://www.curtainpoles.co.uk/index.htm

 

[JoceAndChris]

The best brass ones I've found are the Jim Lawrence ones but they do make a mess of £150 per window ( but worth every penny as the rings run so smoothly and satisfyingly and you can be absolutely specific with things like button finials for tight spots, recessed brackets for dormer windows etc).

Merrick and Day are a good stockist of wooden ones. They are the curtain queens.

Personally I'd only put black iron in a house that predates 1700. The Georgians, Victorians and Edwardians liked brass and mahogany or ebonised woods with gilt accents, brass is what should be going on the doors ( unless your scheme is fully contemporary) and the curtain fixtures ought to match.

Fantastic, good value antique curtain poles to be found, there's a great heap of them in Horncastle if anyone is going that way. It's also worth watching EBay for antique curtains and fittings.

 

[MatthewC]

I don't usually recommend H___ B___e but I bought one from there this afternoon!