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Rare listed glasshouses saved by £120,000 grant

Katy Prickett
BBC News, Suffolk
Historic England Archive A run of early Victorian white-framed glasshouse against a wall at Somerleyton Hall. The entrance is on the left and its paint is flaking and cracked. The multi-paned glass house runs off to the right. In front of it is grass and a gravel path. Above is blue sky. Historic England Archive
Future plans would include explaining how Victorian engineering was used to design and develop such unusual buildings to visitors, said gardener Simon Gaches

Glasshouses believed to have been created by the Crystal Palace designer Sir Joseph Paxton have received a £120,000 grant towards their restoration.

The "rare survivors of Victorian innovation" are part of a Grade II*-listed walled kitchen garden, built in about 1846 at Somerleyton Hall, in Somerleyton, Suffolk.

The glasshouses, which include two peach houses, were put on Historic England's At Risk register in November. The funds have been awarded by the organisation.

Somerleyton's head of gardens and conservation Simon Gaches said the news was "very exciting, not just to have safe and beautiful working glasshouses, but also to be able to share the history".

Historic England Archive An aerial shot of Somerleyton Hall and gardens. The house is on the left and is a u-shaped, three storey mansion. Running down from its lower wing is a walled garden with a long run of glasshouses on the left. To the right can be seen formal parterre-style gardens with yew hedges.Historic England Archive
Sir Joseph was an English landscape gardener and designer of hothouses, who began life as a duke's gardener and was later knighted and became an MP

Somerleyton Hall - which Historic England described as the "one of the finest Victorian stately homes in the country" - was owned by Sir Samuel Morton Peto, an engineer and railway pioneer, before it was bought by carpet manufacturer Sir Francis Crossley.

The glasshouses, which are showing signs of structural vulnerability and brickwork decay, "form part of one of the finest Victorian kitchen gardens in England", it added.

Historic England Archive A woman bending over to pull out weeds from a flower bed. She has short white hair and is wearing a mauve T-shirt, white cropped trousers and gardening gloves. To her right is a bed of pink and red peonies. Behind her are shrubs and a wall.Historic England Archive
A team of volunteers help maintain the garden while enjoying working in the historic landscape

A charitable trust will be established to maintain and manage the building.

The plans include restoring the peach houses as working plant houses, using the ridge and furrow glasshouses for educational activities and creating new spaces within the walled kitchen garden.

The garden already has a keen group of 14 regular volunteers.

Historic England Archive A run of early Victorian white-framed glasshouse against a wall at Somerleyton Hall. The roof of the multi-paned glass house runs up to the wall. Plants can be glimpsed within. In front of it is grass and a gravel path. Above is blue sky and trees in leaf. Historic England Archive
Historic England's Tony Callandine said: "These remarkable glasshouses represent a fascinating chapter in our horticultural and architectural heritage."

Hugh Crossley, the 4th Baron Somerleyton, said: "We are indebted to the team at Historic England for the guidance, expertise, support and this vital grant that paves the way for the long-term restoration and care of our glass houses."

Tony Calladine, Historic England's East of England regional director, said: "Their connection to Sir Joseph Paxton makes them particularly special.

"This funding will help save these rare survivors of Victorian innovation for future generations to explore and enjoy."

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