Essex-based Crittall Holdings, which can trace its history back to 1849 and saw its steel-framed windows used on the Titanic, has acquired blast-resistant glazing specialist Fendor.

Based in Washington (Tyne and Wear), Fendor provides high-security, ballistic and bomb-proof fenestration to a wide range of establishments, including the Ivy League universities of Princeton and Yale, and an apartment block facing Central Park in New York.

Stuart Judge, managing director of the Crittall group, said: “This is a win-win situation for Crittall, for Fendor, and for all our customers.

“We are now able to offer an unparalleled range of fenestration — from steel windows, doors and screens for residential and commercial use to specialist security glazing that meets the stringent requirements of industrial, medical and Government clients.”

He added that Crittall’s windows enjoyed "a heyday in the Art Deco era, and now the style is back in vogue, with sales to foreign customers growing by 58% over the past two years."