Glasshouse And Packing Shed At Rocky Hill Farm

SV 91 SW 1358/4/10006

ST MARY'S ROCKY HILL LANE Glasshouse and Picking Shed at Rocky Hill Farm

II

Flower packing and potting shed with glasshouse to south. Dates from after 1867 (potting shed built between 1880 and 1906 O.S. maps), and associated with William Trevellick - reputedly the first Scillonian flower exporter to Covent Garden. Coursed granite rubble with corrugated iron cladding to north gable end; asbestos sheet gabled roof to packing shed, with gabled roof to glasshouse set on low granite rubble walls. Packing shed is part-glazed on granite plinth to north elevation; wide doorway with timber door, 3-light fixed pane window to left-hand side, small 4-light fixed pane window to right-hand side. Glasshouse has slender timber frame, all painted to exterior with mullions to glazed panels. INTERIOR: packing and potting shed has softwood internal frame and trusses, with benches to sides of wreck timber. Glasshouse has old benches to sides, nailed collars to roof and tying room in NW corner (adjacent to doorway into packing shed) with internal bench and partition walls comprising fixed pane windows over horizontal weatherboarding. Old plank doors with wrought-iron latches. Easily the most complete and impressive example of its type on the Scillies. The flower industry, introduced to the islands by Augustus Smith as part of his mid C19 restructuring of the islands' economy, became a vitally important part of the Scillies economy. The glasshouse features in the Gibson photographic collection of Victorian prints: it belonged to William Trevellick, reputed to have been the first Scillonian to have sent flowers (in a hatbox) to Covent Garden in 1867.

Listing NGR: SV9121911071