The RHS embarked on ambitious plans to realise their 5^th garden – a 154-acre site in the former Worsley New Hall grounds, on the outskirts of Salford. White Cottage Greenhouses were commissioned to design, manufacture, and install two large mono-pitch lean-to glasshouses in the new Paradise Garden, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. The garden has been developed within a heritage landscape and is the first RHS garden in the climatic and ecological conditions of the North West of England.

White Cottage has been successfully manufacturing painted timber greenhouses for many years. Their ethos has always been to create a genuine timber-framed greenhouse whilst minimising maintenance and risk of decay. This made them the perfect fit for this project.

Over the last five years, White Cottage has shifted entirely over to Accoya wood, and so there was no other material choice for the Paradise Garden superstructures. With Accoya, excessive movement in tongue and groove boards is eliminated, meaning cracks in paint are far less likely to occur. There are time savings in the joinery manufacture, fewer defects such as knots, and better performance all round, as well as outstanding, guaranteed durability.

A key feature of Accoya is that coatings will last longer than on other timber products. White Cottage even says Accoya is easier to paint and requires less preparation.

For the RHS glasshouses, Teknos ANTISTAIN AQUA 2901 primer was followed by two coats of AQUATOP 2600. All were applied using an air-assisted spray gun in the purpose-built spray booth and climate-controlled drying room at the White Cottage manufacturing site.

The colour choice is appropriate for the Victorian period, tying in with existing buildings on the RHS site whilst promising to be a low-maintenance solution.

Photography

© White Cottage Greenhouses

“I am wholly confident that the combination of Accoya and Teknos is as good as it is said to be. Since starting to work with Accoya we’ve seen many benefits. I won’t be around in 70 years’ time, but I’m confident our Accoya greenhouses will be.

“Both Accoya and Teknos place sustainability at the heart of what they do, which is key for us and increasingly important for our customers. Both support our goal of producing a timeless and long-lasting product with a minimal carbon footprint.

“They also support our design ethos, which is to produce a structure which closely replicates genuine period glasshouses whilst using modern material solutions to minimise the need for frequent maintenance.“

John Tomlin, Managing Director, White Cottage Greenhouses

Photography

© RHS / Neil Hepworth