The repeal of both window and glass tax in the late eighteen hundreds as well as new wealth brought in by the industrial revolution, glasshouses became extremely popular by the Victorian age, Queen Victoria herself commissioned several Foster & Pearson greenhouses to be built for her kitchen gardens at Windsor. Innovations in the machine tool industry, improved shipping and the reduced cost of wrought and cast iron meant small glasshouses were popping up in many middle class homes.
Parr’s restoration of the walled garden at The Weir was no exception and he spared no expense in using the same reputable company as the late Queen Victoria. After being sympathetically restored by the National Trust after years of neglect after Parr’s death in the forties, you are still able to see this wonderful feature when you visit.