The glasshouse at Helensburgh’s iconic Hill House could be demolished because it is in ‘very poor’ condition and putting visitors at risk.
The National Trust for Scotland says current glasshouse has ‘deteriorated beyond the point of repair’ and asked for permission to knock it down and build a temporary replacement.
The building is used by the property’s gardening team and occasionally by external parties, and the trust says the main property’s A-listing does not mention the glasshouse and it was probably made by Henry Hope & Sons of Birmingham, who built glasshouses at Birmingham Botanic Gardens with identical frame design and stamps.
A document submitted to Argyll and Bute Council by the trust’s regional building surveyor Brigit Luffingham states: “Background research into the glasshouse suggests that it had little to do with Charles Rennie Mackintosh – it was Mr Blackie’s idea and was installed by him after the house was finished.
“Unfortunately the condition of the timber has been allowed to deteriorate significantly and there are now sections of the frame which are failing.
“The overall condition of the glasshouse is very poor with an increasing risk to user safety due to past evidence of falling glazing.
“Without intervention the timbers will continue to rot away.
“Unfortunately the timber repairs required to the structure are extensive and not isolated to individual elements.
“It is anticipated that in order to replace the rotten timber the entire structure would need to be disassembled and the majority of timber replaced with new joinery to bring the building back into a good condition and reduce the risk to users.”
She added that the existing metal frame and other iron sections might be reused in future.
The planning application is on the council’s website – the reference number is 22/02382/PP.
Hardly poor condition; Glass virtually all intact, brick walls near perfect. The wooden frames are modular and easily replaced. The deterioration is down to poor maintenance from NTS. A wonderful structure. Dismantle and rebuild.