A matched pair of composite doors for a wider opening. Proper symmetry, a generous entrance when both leaves are open, and everyday convenience through one.
Some entrances are simply too wide for a single door. A pair of composite leaves fills the opening in proportion, gives a genuinely grand entrance when both are open, and works as a normal front door the rest of the time through the master leaf alone.
Proportion is the whole point of a double door, and it is the easiest thing to get wrong. Two narrow leaves in a wide frame look mean; two very broad leaves are heavy to use and awkward in a shallow porch. At survey we measure the structural opening, look at the elevation as a whole, and set the leaf widths, the frame and any fanlight above so that the entrance reads as it should from the path and from across the drive.
The practical arrangement is master and slave. The master leaf is the one you use every day, with the handle, the letterplate and the multi-point locking. The slave leaf stays closed on shoot bolts and is released only when you want the full opening — moving furniture, a delivery, a party, or simply a summer evening with the whole entrance open onto the garden. Both leaves lock into the frame when shut.
Across the Cotswolds and the Thames Valley we fit double doors on farmhouses, converted barns, larger Victorian and Georgian houses, and contemporary homes with a double-height entrance hall. The specification varies accordingly: divided glazing and a heritage colour on a period elevation, a flush pair in anthracite with long pull handles on a modern one, and matched glass throughout so the two leaves and any sidelight read as one composition.
The doors come from established British manufacturers and are fitted by our own directly employed installers. Wider openings occasionally need brickwork or lintel attention, which is identified at survey rather than on the day, and reflected in your fixed written quotation. The installation is registered under our Assure registration and covered by an insurance-backed guarantee alongside our 20 Year Guarantee.
A pair of leaves solves a problem that a single wide door cannot.
Two leaves keep the proportions right in an opening that would leave a single door looking either narrow or unmanageably broad.
A matched pair reads as a deliberate centrepiece on the elevation, which is exactly what a grand porch or farmhouse entrance wants.
Open both leaves and the full width of the opening is available, for furniture, deliveries and occasions when the hall opens to the garden.
The master leaf works as an ordinary front door, so day-to-day use is no different from a single door.
The same glass design runs across both leaves and any fanlight or sidelight, so the whole entrance is one composition.
Both leaves are weather-sealed and lock into the frame, so a wide entrance does not become the coldest part of the house.
How the pair is arranged matters as much as which style you choose.
Two leaves of identical width, the most symmetrical arrangement and the right answer on a formal or period elevation.
A wider master leaf with a narrower slave, giving a comfortable everyday door where the opening is not wide enough for two full leaves.
Handle, letterplate and multi-point locking on the master leaf, with the slave leaf held on shoot bolts and released when needed.
Moulded panelling repeated across both leaves, keeping the detail consistent so the pair reads as a single composition.
Two smooth slabs with long pull handles, a restrained modern entrance particularly effective in a dark or grained finish.
Matched glazed panels in both leaves, for entrance halls that depend on the front door for their daylight.
A glazed light above, or sidelights flanking the pair, where the opening is taller or wider than the leaves alone should fill.
Standard and low thresholds across the full width, detailed at survey so weather performance and level access are both considered.
Arrange your free home survey, expert advice, accurate measuring and a fixed written quotation with no pressure.
Both leaves are finished identically inside and out, so the pair stays balanced.
The most requested modern finish, and one that works as well on a rendered new build as it does against Cotswold stone. Restrained rather than stark.
A traditional choice for townhouses and Georgian porches, particularly alongside polished or antique hardware and a divided glazed panel.
From deep navy to softer heritage blues. Confident on a painted or rendered elevation without dominating the front of the house.
Chartwell and the deeper heritage greens are a natural fit for cottages and country homes across the Cotswolds and the Thames Valley.
Warmer than a bright white and easier on older stone and lime render, especially where the door sits within a recessed porch.
Oak and darker wood-grain finishes carry the texture of stained timber with none of the sanding, sealing or repainting.
A classic front door colour that reads well on brick and rendered elevations, and holds its depth because the colour runs through the skin.
Every finish is a colour-through skin, so the colour is part of the door rather than a coat of paint over it. That is why a composite door does not need repainting, and why scuffs from bikes, prams and deliveries stay far less visible than they would on timber. Interiors can be specified in a different shade to the outside, which is often the right decision where a hallway is narrow or north-facing. We bring samples to your free home survey so you can hold the colour against your own brick, stone or render rather than judging it from a screen.
On a pair of doors the glazing and ironmongery are repeated, so the choice carries twice the visual weight.
Diamond and square lead patterns for period elevations, where the original door and fanlight would have carried divided glazing.
Softly etched and floral designs that admit daylight into a hallway while keeping the view in from the path obscured.
Geometric designs suited to 1920s and 1930s houses, particularly where the original stained glass has been lost.
Clean vertical and horizontal glazing for modern elevations, giving light and a sense of height without any decorative pattern.
Lever and lever-pad handles in polished chrome, satin, black or antique finishes, chosen to match the ironmongery elsewhere on the house.
Long pull handles for flush and contemporary doors, giving a clean vertical line and a comfortable, positive grip.
Traditional knockers, with or without a spyhole, for houses where a doorbell would look out of place on the face of the door.
Letterplates with brush and flap seals so the draught proofing of the door is not undone by the post, in finishes matched to the handle.
Laminated glass options are available throughout, which is worth specifying wherever glazing sits within reach of the lock or beside a quiet side path. All hardware is chosen at survey stage and set out in your fixed written quotation, so the finish on the handle, knocker, letterplate and hinges is decided together rather than left to chance.
Both leaves are secured into the frame. The specification is the same as on a single front door.
Multi-point locking secures the door at several points along the frame rather than at the handle alone, which is what makes forcing the leaf so much harder.
High-security cylinders resist the snapping, drilling and bumping methods most commonly used on older front doors, with upgrade options available.
Reinforced, thermally broken frames tested to PAS 24, the recognised British standard for enhanced security doorsets.
Laminated glazing holds together when struck, which matters most on glazed panels, sidelights and any glass within reach of the lock.
A solid insulated core and modern weather-sealing keep the hallway warmer and draught-free, a marked change from an older timber or uPVC door.
The same density and sealing that hold heat in also reduce road and weather noise reaching the hall and the rooms leading off it.
A selection of door photography showing paired leaves, glazing and finishes.
A selection of recent Thames Frames door installations completed across Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Berkshire.
A classic panelled composite front door in a deep, understated colour, replacing a tired timber original on a well-proportioned Georgian family home. Specified with laminated glazing and high-security multi-point locking.
A traditional stable door in heritage cream, sensitively specified for a stone cottage on the edge of Cirencester. Independently opening leaves with modern insulation, weather-sealing and security.
A composite front door flanked by full-height glazed sidelights, brightening a previously dark hallway on a period townhouse in the centre of Tetbury without compromising security.
A pair of composite double doors specified for a generous entrance on a country family home, balanced proportions, contemporary hardware and a considerably warmer, more welcoming entrance hall.
A colour-through composite front door in a soft, characterful shade, replacing a draughty uPVC unit on an established family home. Warmer, quieter and considerably more secure.
An anthracite grey composite door specified for a contemporary refurbishment near Hungerford, smart brushed hardware, laminated glass and a crisp, considered finish to the front elevation.
A golden oak woodgrain composite door with three stacked square apertures and a colour-matched frame, fitted within the recessed porch of a red-brick family home in Innsworth. Obscured glazing keeps the hallway private while still drawing daylight in, and the chrome furniture and low aluminium threshold finish it neatly.
A Chartwell Green composite door with a full-height decorative Art Deco glazed panel, set in a crisp white frame on a rendered Cheltenham home. The leaded design brings character and daylight into the hallway, while two solid lower panels and polished chrome furniture keep the door robust and beautifully balanced.
An anthracite grey composite door with vertical grooved detailing and three square apertures, with a colour-matched frame and threshold, fitted beneath a timber canopy on a new-build home in Trowbridge. A brushed stainless letterplate and slimline handle complete a clean, contemporary frontage.
"A calm, considered process from survey through to installation. The new door has completely lifted the front of the house."
"Sympathetic advice at survey and immaculately installed. Exactly the door our cottage needed, and beautifully finished."
"The hallway feels transformed. Honest guidance on the glass and hardware, and the finish is exceptional."
"Meticulous survey and a very high standard of installation. We couldn't be more pleased with the finished result."
"You can feel the difference the moment you step inside. Cleanly installed and beautifully finished."
"Balanced, honest advice at survey and a lovely, tidy install. The finished result is stunning."
Arrange a complimentary home survey with one of our door specialists. We'll measure the opening, set the leaf proportions and glazing, and leave you with a fixed written quotation and no pressure at any stage.
Share a few details and a door specialist will be in touch within one working day. No pressure, no pushy sales.
Arrange a complimentary home survey at a time that suits you. We listen carefully, measure precisely and recommend the products best suited to your property.