Griffin Glasshouses
Celebrates
Golden
anniVersary
As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers
of bespoke glasshouses it is not surprising
that many of our customers use their Griffin
Glasshouses for their rare and unusual plants
as well as housing at least one of the national
collections.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first
ever glasshouse designed by my father, David
Griffin. The business he founded remains a family
owned and managed concern and my brother
and cousin both work in it with me. We design
and construct glasshouses across the UK, Europe
and further afield.
Everything we produce is bespoke with the
exception of our National Gardens Scheme
collection that is a range of specific, smaller
structures. All the materials we use in the
manufacturing process at our Ropley factory in
Hampshire are of the highest quality and many of
the features are specifically designed by us and
unique to our brand. This includes our full-length
automated opening and ventilation system, the
Victorian styled spandrels used in many of our
glasshouses and the hidden rain water collection
system than can be channelled into underground
storage tanks and pumped up for irrigation and
watering.
All of our frames are made from the highest
quality, maintenance free aluminium which is
powder coated in any paint colour. All bolts and
fixings are completely hidden. We specifically
match a wood look-alike finish so that Griffin
Glasshouses appear to be traditional but have
the very latest, low maintenance finish.
We have, over the past five years, identified a
growing trend for glasshouses with a Victorian
design and the majority of our work is within this
category.
Although harking back to bygone days, these
glasshouses are thoroughly 21st century in
design and maintenance. Many have highly
decorative spandrels, steep pitches to roofs,
narrow glass panes and highly decorative finials
at the ends of the ridge.
This year, as part of our 50th anniversary
celebrations, we have launched a range of
glasshouse work benches with Victorian-styled
cast-aluminium legs and corner details. It is part
of our drive to generate maximum authenticity
but without the high levels of maintenance
associated with historic structures of this type.
An increasing amount of work is from gardeners
having to replace comparatively modern wooden
greenhouses that have simply rotted away. We
regularly work with historic homes and gardens
where they often have to replace very old garden
structures whilst maintaining the style of the
original.
Journalist and television presenter Janet Street-Porter helped Griffin Glasshouses
mark its 50th anniversary at the Chelsea Flower Show by cutting the anniversary cake
alongside Linda Lane, managing director, Griffin Glasshouses.
It is challenging and often unusual work. We
have built glasshouses around large trees and
created one with sufficient height and ventilation
to ensure that the fresh-air flowed over a mini
mountain on which the owner grew Alpine
plants. We regularly build them in gardens that
open for the National Gardens Scheme. No two
days or glasshouses are the same and that is
what we all find so fascinating and exciting.
Linda Lane
www.griffinglasshouses.com
Landscape & Urban Design Issue 14
59