In between them are the stables, which will have provided a good supply of fresh dung. All in all, it seems to have been a pretty substantial operation consisting of vineries, hot-houses and greenhouses.
When we arrived here 14 years ago, all the original structures had long gone, and the only greenhouse was a small lean-to, about twenty feet long. Like all lean-tos it lacked any aesthetic appeal, and I didn’t make matters any better by doubling its length. What it lacked in beauty, it also lacked in utility, as the wretched thing was cramped and needed constant attention- repairs one year, painting the next. I wondered how the original structures might have looked, and taking inspiration from some examples from the 1870’s I put together a design which to my eyes combined beauty and utility. Here it is. The frame is made from four and a half tons of galvanised steel, which won’t need repainting during my lifetime. The glass is double-glazed, which will retain the heat in winter far more efficiently than the old lean-to. The roof is almost flat, which gives excellent head-room all round, unlike the lean-to, and water flows into the columns, which act as drain-pipes. The paths (which are wide enough for a wheel-barrow) and the sides of the beds are lined with Burlington slate. It may look expensive, but it was made entirely by my local craftsman*, and it will have been about half of what one of the swanky manufacturers would have charged, for a decidedly inferior wooden affair. The Victorians knew what they were doing when it came to hot-house design, and I’m glad that I followed their example *The metal-work was provided by Bob Moorehouse and the groundwork was done by Carl Taylor.
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