Heavy Shutter Strap Hinges > Overview

Strap hinges are unquestionably the oldest and most commonly used shutter and door hinges.  Historic strap hinges range in size from massive castle gate hinges to delicate straps gracing cabinet doors.  Strap hinges have been in continuous use from Roman times through the present.  Antique strap hinges were perfect examples of form following function – strap hinges allowed early smiths to make best use of their expensive iron.  The antique strap hinges were double weight at the barrel and thinned along their length.  This concentrated the material at the weight bearing point and allowed a given weight of iron to be stretched across the width of the window or door to bind the wooden elements together.

The most common strap hinge form found in the American colonies was the tapered, beveled and beaned strap hinge.  This was the English form and was mass produced in Great Britain and imported on English ships.  The English strap hinge form was dominant in the colonial American marketplace; especially in the coastal cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Charleston.

701 Forged Bevel Strap Hinges

The hammered bevel seen on the best strap hinges was a carry-over from colonial days and gradually disappeared  as an unnecessary expense, but the general form of the hinges remained the same.  While some few examples of cast iron shutter hinges were seen before the civil war, virtually all other shutters were hung with strap hinges.

702 Tapered and Beaned Strap Hinges

While countless variations can be found in the size and profiles of strap hinges, the most common form on the continent is a simple flat bar formed to a hinge.  We call this our “storm strap hinge” because I was looking for a less expensive but functional strap hinge to serve on operable shutters.

705 Storm Strap Hinges

The storm hinge is nice functional hinge and not unattractive and it fits nicely with more contemporary construction where a colonial look isn’t all that appropriate.

These are the basic forms of strap hinges, but many historic examples can be found where additional elements and details were added.   Often a 90° leg was added to the strap to provide additional support and visual impact on large heavy doors and shutters.  The common round “bean” termination on the colonial style of strap was often hammered out to a more interesting heart shape or widened to more of a lima bean form.  Since we make what we sell, we can tailor any of our strap hinges to meet your custom needs.