I thought I'd do a post to make you all dream.
This old glass house is next to one of the fields I rent and I dream about what I'd do with it if it was mine every time I walk past it!
It's beautiful with a brick base and a hardwood timber frame on top. Most of the glass is now gone but you can tell it was a good one and much cared for in it's day. There's even a pit where the boiler used to live to heat it in winter and on cold nights.
It's split into two, in the top section you can still see an old grape vine and a large peach tree growing up the one side and the bottom end was apparently used to raise seedlings for the kitchen garden (all for the big house).
Some of the metal work in there is amazingly ornate and it's a real shame that it's all rusting away slowly.
If I had about a year and a large budget I'd love to get this listed old glasshouse back into working order and fill it with plants.
Don't get me wrong, I still love my two aluminium greenhouses and I'm sure they involve a whole lot less maintenance!
What would you do with an old glasshouse like this?
It is lovely but I can't imagine gardening unless the soil is completely changed due to glass shards:(
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point - be pretty dangerous to go and stick your hand in there!
DeleteSuch a shame thats its left to go to ruin, I would love a glass house like that so much potential, hot beds with melons and pineapples and lots of citrus trees is what I would fill it with.
ReplyDeleteIs the grapevine worth taking a cutting off :-)
Maybe the grape wine although I don't know much about them - do they have to be grafted? The peach tree I'll take from in the summer and do a budd
DeleteOh it's so beautiful, I love old things like this, old walled gardens, glasshouses, and derelict cottages. Why don't you ask 'them at the big house' if you can play with it? It'll probably take you a couple of years just to clear out all the debris and you might be able to rescue the grape vine and the peach tree.
ReplyDeleteI love things like this but have far too much to do on my own place to spend time on someone elses! I have nettles up to my eye balls in the soft fruit garden!
Deleteif it is listed apply to the council and English Heritage to get a grant. Then see if any local kids doing Duke of Edinburgh or the like to give free help to achieve their community work part of the award.
ReplyDeleteSomething for the owners I think! I should get them round to mine to do the weeding!
DeleteThat said I'd gladly run the project for them but I think it needs a total rebuild as the bricks are shot as well.
I saw one recently that had been completely replaced with a new wooden structure and glass. Could the old frame be spliced and repaired or could you replace it exactly with new materials Kev?
ReplyDeleteQuite a bit would need to be repaired. I could replace it all and make it from scratch but I don't think any one would pay me to do it!
DeleteI thought a "glass house" was a military prison in English parlance.
ReplyDeleteWe've got one, but it's being used as a silkie chicken refuge right now.
Never heard that before! I did keep some chickens in mine the other winter but they caused havoc so I doubt I'll do it again!
DeleteIt is lovely, imagine the potential. My dad used to have a large glasshouse in his garden complete with boiler, far far bigger than my small greenhouse!
ReplyDeleteI bet that was amazing growing up and going in there! What did he grow?
DeleteGlass green houses are such delicate structures and do not stand the test of time well when left alone and forgotten. Such a shame. That would be a big project but not likely worth the effort for your scale of gardening. And the cost of all that glass would be bankrupting. It would be lovely to have all that covered space though.
ReplyDeleteIf it was on my land I might consider it but no way have I go the time to do it for someone else unless I was being paid. Still nice to dream though, I could fill it right up!
DeleteKev - i love that old house and as you know, my jam collects windows every year from our big garbage pickup. he built us a greenhouse out of all those windows but still has a ton more...i wish you were closer as he says if you were, he would help you restore that greenhouse and even provide the windows. it's a shame that no one is using it! do as Sol says and see if you can get it.
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
It would be a fun project and I'd lvoe to do it. Maybe if I took a year off I could do it - it's a big project but would be lovely when it's finished.
DeleteI'm with you, can you imagine how great it would be inside full of plants, warm sunny day, cup of coffee, the whole world would be great.
ReplyDeleteThe smells and all the produce to snack on as well!
DeleteIt would be fun to restore it but one of the pics looks like there might be a lot of rot on the wood frame as well. Might be easier to build a new one on the old foundation and see if you can use the metal work in the new one too. One that size I might be tempted to make a hybrid with a shed attached on the old plans instead of all that fitted glass.
ReplyDeleteI think the bricks would need doing as well, most are shot. Still it;s nice to dream!
DeleteSuch a lovely thing to bring back to former glory.
ReplyDeleteIt would be John and a great project to have in the portfolio! Alas the project would cost far more than I can afford in time or money!
DeleteThe former owner was most likely throwing stones...
ReplyDelete