Notcutts Dukeries Glass Houses, Welbeck Estate

The glasshouses now form part of the Notcutts Dukeries Garden Centre but were in poor condition and required extensive repair. They hadn’t been used for nearly twenty years and the damage included missing and broken panes of glass, rotten or failed timbers and missing or crumbling brickwork.

Notcutts initially engaged Messenger for the enabling works, which included clearing the site of vegetation, temporary propping where principal members were decayed and missing, and investigation of the previous materials used.

The next phase of works involved the careful dismantling and re-erection of some of the iron brackets in the glasshouses, as well as blast cleaning and a new paint system applied.

All materials were required to match the originals as far as practicable, and prior to repointing adjacent cracked joints were to be cut out and replaced with matching sound bricks to architect’s detail and specification.

Photo Credit: Purcell