FEATURE: GREENHOUSES & OUTDOOR BUILDINGS
REIMAGINED
GREENHOUSE RESTORES HORTICULTURAL HISTORY
authentic Victorian and Edwardian greenhouses, has recreated Benthall Hall’s historic Walled Kitchen Garden Victorian greenhouse. The new White Cottage greenhouse is just over 12m long and 4.5m wide, includes cold frames running along its full length and sits on the original base wall – the only remaining part of the previous structure which dated back to the early 1900s. Its reinstatement is an important piece of the National Trust’s careful restoration of the property’s horticultural history – both in terms of the greenhouse’s classic, Victorian architecture and its function within the garden. The new Victorian greenhouse is open to the public and will allow the National Trust property to increase the range of plants grown in the garden and revive the Plant Biologist George Maw’s Victorian plant collection – including his historic crocus collection.
W
Horticultural legacy The new White Cottage Victorian greenhouse has been in the planning for three years, and the determined hope of Gardener in Charge, Nick Swankie, for over two decades. Glasshouses played a central role in Benthall Hall’s original garden ecosystem and history, created by tenants George and Arthur Maw who lived and gardened there from the 1860s. George made frequent plant collecting trips to the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Morocco and the Atlas Mountains, collecting over 3,000 plant species along the way. The greenhouse will enable Benthall Hall to expand its horticultural legacy, by propagating a greater range of plants and reviving many of the species originally introduced by George Maw. Nick Swankie said: “More than a century has passed since the last of Maw’s crocus bloomed in its original bed, but the reinstatement
22 DIY WEEK JULY 2025
hite Cottage Greenhouses, specialist craftsmen of exquisite, historically
White Cottage Greenhouses has reinstated an historic kitchen garden Victorian greenhouse at the National Trust’s Benthall Hall in Shropshire. A landmark reimagining of the hall’s original Victorian greenhouse helps tell the story of Benthall Hall’s pioneering horticultural legacy. Visitors can now experience a unique Victorian display glasshouse being used as it once was.
organised, according to the National Trust’s archaeology report. A central partition divides the growing space into two zones where optimal growing conditions can be controlled and maintained for the plants on display there. Original Maw & Co encaustic tiles, made at the company’s Benthall Works, a field away from the greenhouse, salvaged and returned to Benthall recently, decorate the floor. The new Benthall Hall Victorian
of the glasshouse is an important milestone in the journey Benthall Hall’s team are on, to restart the work he began. This includes recreating the collection of crocus he describes in his monograph (including Crocus danfordiae and Crocus tauri,) and reintroducing other alpine plants described as being in the garden by William Robinson in his visit in 1881.”
Victorian specification Reimagined according to White Cottage’s proprietary Victorian specification, the new design and build replicates the original Benthall glasshouses, replaced more than once since Maw’s heyday. The Victorians used a wide variety of timbers in their greenhouses, but almost always then painted them white to maximise light reflection. The National Trust has selected an off-white (ivory is one of White Cottage’s standard colours) to maintain its original spirit whilst allowing the new structure to sit comfortably in its historic surroundings. “We want our greenhouses to feel like they’ve always been there,” said Tori Tomlin, Director at White Cottage.
A key element of the reinstatement is the expansive cold frames that extend the full 12m along the greenhouse’s south-facing side and are unusually wide. The new cold frames will benefit from modern technology in the form of discreet gas struts which will make opening and closing the huge lids a lot easier than it was 100 years ago and will house a display of Saxifrage – another species Maw was a pioneering collector of and an intrinsic part of Benthall’s horticultural legacy. A representative from the National
Trust said: “The general aesthetic is consistent and recognisable to visitors of National Trust properties and their glasshouses but with the intricacies of Benthall Hall intertwined. The existing character has been maintained, ensuring the changes are sympathetic to the overall historic context, character and appearance. White Cottage’s unique combination of Accoya timber frame and aluminium roof will ensure the longevity of the glasshouse and will help with lifecycle maintenance of the elements usually difficult to access.” Inside, the layout replicates how the previous structure was
greenhouse will be open to the public from mid-July. Visitors can experience how George Maw was using his glasshouses, over 150 years ago, to showcase his extensive plant collection including, in early spring, some of Benthall’s potted crocuses.
About White Cottage Greenhouses White Cottage Greenhouses is a family-run business, based in Sandbach Cheshire, which has been making its handcrafted, period greenhouses for 45 years. It is already the greenhouse maker of choice for those in the know, with glasshouses in some of the UK’s most esteemed gardens including RHS Bridgewater, RHS Wisley and the National Trust. Classic Victorian and Edwardian models are made to order using traditional methods, quality materials and period detailing. The business provides a uniquely crafted and truly bespoke offering within the greenhouse market. A close team ensures a personal, hands-on service, and with greenhouses starting from just over £7,000, White Cottage Greenhouses are within reach for even the smallest gardens.
For more details and to explore White Cottage Greenhouses’ full range of handcrafted period greenhouses, visit
www.whitecottage.co.uk.
www.diyweek.net
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
