David Marsh from Parks and gardens UK on glasshouse pioneer John Claudius Loudon (1783 - 1843):
Loudon’s most significant invention was a method of making glazing bars in wrought iron that could be made in curvilinear sections. The big breakthrough was to make them flexible enough to be bent in any direction without reducing their strength. Suddenly curvilinear or even conical glazing was possible and the great age of glasshouses and conservatories was born.
This led to the publication of Remarks on the Construction of Hot-Houses in 1817 and in 1818 A Comparative View of the Common and Curvilinear Mode of Roofing Hot-Houses and Sketches of Curvilinear Hot-Houses.
Unfortunately he sold the idea for the glazing bar to Messrs W. and D. Bailey of Holborn at an early stage. They patented it in 1818 and so Loudon did not reap any financial reward from his invention, which is a pity since he was, despite all his publication, on the edge of bankruptcy much of his life.
Loudon collaborated with Baileys on a number of glasshouses in the following years. including Felton Park in Northumberland.
MARSH D., John Claudius Loudon…. and Greenhouse Technology