A RELIC of the world gone by at Walton Hall, reclaimed by nature, is undergoing a transformation.

The glass houses at the estate were once a scene of year round greenery, filled with plants, fruit and vegetables servicing the needs of the Greenall family who called the hall their home.

And once taken over by Warrington Borough Council they assumed a new life as a venue for various flower shows.

But in 1993 they were closed off to the public and that is when the plants took over with tiny saplings growing into trees and ivy and vines over running the neglected wooden and glass frames.

Until now.

The Friends of Walton Hall are now mounting an extraordinary operation to sweep out the deadwood in the hope of being able to restore the glass houses to their former glory.

Mike Jones, from the group, said: “They were closed due to structural problems and have gradually fallen into disrepair. There has been a number of ideas as to what could be done with them.

“Last year it was decided there would be a conserted effort to get things moving.

“The Friends of Walton Estate decided while consideration would be given for the renovation as a whole a start would be made on clearing the site and engaging the public interest in the site.

“The initial step was to tidy up one end of the site and cut in viewing panels for the public to see the work underway.

“Over time interest grew and we have started the process with a vengence this year.

“Warrington Borough Council has been very helpful and provided resources for the preparatory work to be done. We are also getting support from other voluntary groups.”

Help has also come from Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute who have sent teams down to get hands on experience of the clean up process.

And in some ways the process has been slow and intricate to protect many of the original details such as the ironwork and window mechanisms.

“It’s a listed building so we have to be careful to document everything we do,” added Mike. “The site had to be made safe by removing the glass.

“After that the idea is to strip the structure back to it’s bare components while going through the process of finding funding.

“The idea is it will hopefully have some horticultural use.”

To find out more about the campaign to restore the glass houses and how you can support the plans visit fowe.btck.co.uk

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