Worksop: Clumber Park greenhouse restoration underway after £49,000 grant

Work is underway to restore the east range of the Long Range glasshouse in the Walled Kitchen Garden at the National Trust’s Clumber Park in Worksop.

For the past three years this section of the glasshouse has been closed to visitors, but now, thanks to a grant of £49,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, rotten timber glazing bars and ventilation sashes will be replaced, corroded iron work renewed and the glasshouse re-glazed.

Work on the restoration started immediately and is expected to be completed later this summer.

This latest restoration work will involve:

- The removal, cleaning and re-installation of 2,016 panes of glass – with a total surface area of 4,489 ft2 (417 m2)

- The removal, replacement and repainting of 126 wooden glazing bars and 42 capping pieces, totalling a length of 3,198 ft – just over half a mile (or 975 metres – nearly 1 km)

- Four coats of paint on each glazing bar and capping piece, using enough paint to paint a continuous 4-inch (10cm) wide white line along the 2 mile (3.2km) length of Clumber’s Lime Tree Avenue.

Chris Margrave, Clumber Park’s Head Gardener, said: “The Long Range is one of Clumber’s iconic features and a firm favourite with our visitors.

“Once work is completed on the east wing we’ve have exciting plans to grow more heritage varieties, such as tomatoes, as well as unusual vegetables like the yard long bean and the hyacinth bean.”

The funding from Heritage Lottery Fund has been coupled with donations from National Trust visitors and local National Trust Supporter Groups as well as monies from the National Trust to reach the £90,000 needed to complete the works.

Mr Margrave added, “We’re extremely grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund and all those that have made donations. Having the glasshouse restored to its former glory will be a real bonus for the garden here at Clumber.”