Help restore Attingham’s Walled Garden Glasshouses

A view of the Glass Houses and Bothy inside the Walled Garden — The glasshouses in the Walled Garden frameyard at Attingham.

There are three glasshouses in the Frameyard of the Walled Garden, the Melon House, Tomato House and the Pinery Vinery. The current glasshouses essentially date from 1924 and are incredibly and increasingly expensive to maintain and repair. This unfortunately means that traditional maintenance methods of these structures are no longer viable. We’re raising funds to restore, refurbish and replace parts of these structures that are vital in the growing of fruits and vegetables in this productive kitchen garden.

The Melon House in the Walled Garden at Attingham, Shrewsbury — The sun shining down on the Melon House in the Walled Garden at Attingham.

Attingham's Walled Garden Glasshouses Appeal

Melons? Grown in Shropshire? Are you sure? Find out how you can help save the features of Attingham's Walled Garden for future generations.

Help us to keep 'growing' the Walled Garden

Attingham's first glasshouses

When the Walled Garden was established (c.1780) this included the building of glasshouses. At that time they would have been the latest innovative horticultural technology that Georgian gardeners could deploy to extend the growing season at both ends of the year. Exotic fruits such as pineapples, melons, and grapes could be grown for the Berwick family whose fortunes were on the rise at this time.

The glasshouses in the Walled Garden at Attingham Park — The glasshouses in the frameyard of the Walled Garden at Attingham.

The glasshouses provided ‘hot-house’ conditions for the produce, as it was protected by the glass, and had heating pipes running through them ( which were serviced by a small boiler/furnace house on the north side of the north wall in the garden. One of these is still in situ).

20th century rebuilding of the glasshouses

The family’s fortunes declined through the centuries and the garden was used for a variety of different purposes, and some of the areas became disused and fell into disrepair.

The current glasshouses were commissioned by Thomas, 8th Lord Berwick in the early 20th Century and were originally supplied in 1924 by Duncan Tucker of Tottenham, a small family firm established in the 1830s. Again, the family’s fortunes during the mid 20th Century were failing and once again the glasshouses fell into disrepair.

A photograph of three gardeners with football in front of a glasshouse in the Walled Garden c.1934 — Walled Garden gardeners with a football in front of a glasshouse in the Walled Garden c.1934.

21st century revival of the Walled Garden

The restoration of the Walled Garden began in 2008 and as part of this the glasshouses were repaired. During the restoration work timber was found to be rotten in many areas and large parts were rebuilt, meaning they are no longer original buildings.

The glasshouses are now a vital part of 'growing' the Walled Garden, in particular in the Melon House. The gardening year begins in January where fruit, vegetables and flowers are propagated, tender seedlings are grown through the early months of the year, in spring and summer the trailing melon plants and cucumbers grow and come to harvest before french beans then take over in the autumn. Even in the winter months of November and December the cuttings from the garden's plants are tended within the protective structure.

Without the glasshouses the Walled Garden would not be able to grow the interesting and delicous range of produce it does now, supplying both the onsite Carriage House Cafe with fresh fruit and vegetables for seasonal recipes, and the Stables Shop where visitors can take home their own taste of Attingham.

Small plant pots sit inside a glass house at Attingham. Seeds have been planted in the pot in preparation for next year — Throughout winter, the Walled Garden prepares for the following year

Restoration aims and costs

Sadly, the glasshouses structures have come to the end of their life (not bad for nearly 100 years!) To ensure their continued survival and crucial role in growing seedlings and produce, parts of the frames will need to be replaced with another material such as aluminium, as the maintenance of traditional timber and paint is proving unsustainable. The use of aluminium, where appropriate, it approved by Historic England.

We’ll be retaining the character and spirit of the Glasshouses whilst ensuring their continued use for production. We’ll be incorporating as many of the original fixtures and fittings as possible, such as the iron opening mechanisms, door furniture, window catches.

Interior door inside the Melon House at Attingham Park — Melon House interior door with historic ironwork catches and fixings.

The benefits will be that the glasshouses will last much, much longer and that parts will not need repainting or replacing annually, nor will a full maintenance overhaul every 4-5 years be needed, and these ongoing repair and maintenance costs which run into tens of thousands of pounds, will reduce.

As Georgian gardeners utilised the most up to date and efficient horticultural technology, so will we, as today’s more modern long lasting materials and methods of construction will be used.

It will cost around £150,000 to restore all three glasshouses, and work will begin on the Melon House (a previously wholly rebuilt frame due to timber rot), first, this summer.

The exterior of the Melon House in the Walled Garden at Attingham.

Next steps for the Melon House

The building was photographically recorded in April 2018. We’ll shortly begin the process of removing the iron fixtures for refurbishment and work will begin on the new structure in 2018. The cost for this will be in the region of £45,000.

The water pump inside the Melon House at Attingham Park — The water pump inside the Melon House in the Walled Garden at Attingham.

If you’d like to donate towards the work you’ll find donation boxes in the Bothy and Visitor Reception, or follow the link below to donate online. Thank you for your support in keeping the Walled Garden growing!