Glass Houses
We have four glass houses in the Walled Garden. They are original so are made from brick and wooden frames. However, over the years the wooden frames have been replaced with more modern aluminum frames. Glasshouses were first generally used by rich Victorian households about 160 yrs ago. At that time we had only just learned how to make glass in larger panes and it was very labour intensive and therefore an expensive product. They did not have the advantage of modern materials like aluminium and the frames for the glass were of wood. In order to keep the wood frame away from the damp earth surrounding the greenhouse a dwarf brick wall was built with the wooden frames mounted on top of this and then glazed. It was not usual to grow things in the soil of the greenhouse but on benches which would be high enough to benefit from the full light. The other main use of older glass houses was to grow grapes, but here the vine was usually planted outside the glasshouse and the vine fed in through a gap in the base. The upper part of the vine with the grapes would be behind the glass to benefit from the high temperature.
Our Glass Houses are invaluable to us as we can grow plants earlier in the season and plants that normally wouldn't be resilient to our cooler summers. It is here we can grow our seeds in seed trays where they will be protected from the cooler weather and then transplanted out into the garden, into the Glass Houses or Polythene Tunnels. Obviously, we have to attend to these houses regularly as they don't get any natural rainfall and rely on us watering them daily. The higher temperature also affects the evaporation of the water so it is imperative regular watering takes place.