On my latest visit to the walled garden I got to go inside the Fern House, the large conservatory built in the 1900s by Sir Julius Wernher.
It is a 'hard hat' area.
The inside is propped up and is in a very fragile condition. It is a wooden structure and in its present state would not be able to be re-glazed as the frame could not take the weight of the glass.
What a magnificent sight it must have been, filled with exotic fruits, flowers and ferns with its central roof tall enough for small trees. From the central atrium lead two long arms each with further glass houses branching off. One of the volunteers told me that when he started clearing this three years ago it was a tunnel of brambles and they had to hack their way into it foot by foot.
At the end of the passage is this glazed alcove which would be enough to grace the back of most peoples' homes on its own.
The central lantern window in the roof here is mostly intact.
I shall be sharing some more photos soon.
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