Select a region
Repairs to the globally important Candie Garden Greenhouses have taken another step forward after a planning application was submitted.
The greenhouses are rare examples that date back to the 18th century, but rotten timbers led to the lower one being closed to the public five years ago and the upper one in 2019.
Parts of the roof on the lower greenhouse have now collapsed, with the States accused of neglect.
Environment & Infrastructure sought expressions of interest to carry out repairs last September and it has now submitted a planning application.
That includes a statement of significance which details some of the damage and causes, as well as the history.
According to the statement, the construction of the glasshouses has been widely attributed to Peter Mourant, who owned Candie during the latter part of the 18th Century.
“It has been stated that the glasshouses were built in 1792. An inspection of the Duke of Richmond map of Guernsey (pictured above), however, suggests that the structures may pre-date that, as there are two structures evident on the 1787 map that have the configuration and location of the two glasshouses.”
The greenhouses are constructed in the pattern of the 1757 Pinery-Vinery style of lean-to hot-house first detailed by Thomas Hitt.
This style was developed to grow pineapples, which need year round heat and sunlight.
There are very few glasshouses globally still standing that were built in the 18th Century.
“Glasshouses were not commonplace in Britain until the removal of the window and glass taxes in the mid-nineteenth century.
“Until then they were the preserve of the super-rich and were as much of a statement of wealth in the Georgian period as driving a top-end sports car or private yacht would be today.
“Guernsey of course did not have either a window tax or a glass tax, and so once it was established that the format worked, the local people proliferated glasshouses across the island and began the horticulture industry which served the island so well for nearly two centuries and is continued to this day, albeit on a reduced scale.”
Because of the warming effect of the gulf-stream, glasshouses in Guernsey were able to grow a much wider variety of sweet fruits than those elsewhere in northern Europe, delivering earlier and later into the markets than British suppliers and therefore achieving premium prices.
The glasshouses in Candie have been repaired many times since their first construction, with an evolution of timber sections, opening light mechanisms and glass pane styles throughout.
It is unlikely that there is any original timber remaining in the structures.
“Failure of the structures appears to be due to two details, in addition to a generally low level of building maintenance,” it said.
The first was ladder pins nailed into the rafters at regular intervals from above.
“Expansion and contraction of the metal elements causes opening up of the timber, leading to water ingress and rot within the rafters. The second is the transition from the lowest pane of the sloped roof on to a sloped timber wall plate, which does not project water into the gutter. Both of these details should be reviewed on site prior to reinstatement to establish whether some minor alteration may be made to extend the future life of the structures.”
The plan is to repair the rotten and damaged parts of the greenhouses and reinstate the parts in good condition.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.