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Wardian Case also known
as a Terrarium
Over 20 years ago I used to make the
"Wardian Cases" that you see below in order to supplement my/our income. Very labour
intensive to construct, they were a delightful
distraction from other work but they were never going to
make my fortune. So I quietly dropped the
practice. Now though -in 2009- I have recently been
making a few cases, mainly for family and friends . You see here some earlier work and some new work,
it is always possible that folk outside the family may
be interested in placing a commission (?)
So what is a Wardian Case you ask. In the first
instance may I direct you to this link ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardian_case.
and then this ...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3296777/The-remarkable-case-of-Dr-Ward.html
To enlarge upon the ideas in the above links .... A
Wardian case proper is for all intents and
purposes sealed. the objective is to maintain a plant
in a healthy condition . A Wardian case therefore
is NOT a mini greenhouse because there is no movement
of air or moisture. Indeed the better sealed the case
is, the more effective it is. Upon sealing the case
think of the environment created within as a static
ecosystem . To expand upon this idea ... :
1) There are no draughts to dry the soil or chill the
plant. There is a finite amount of moisture in the case; it
evaporates from leaves and soil and condenses on the glass ,it
is then absorbed back into the soil and the cycle
repeats.
2) A fixed amount of air and in particular,
a finite number of carbon molecules are within the
case, the amount of carbon/carbon dioxide is finite and so
it is either in the plant, in the air within or within
the soil.
3) Transition for carbon from one state to another is
very slow, in effect, the plant is unable to grow to any
degree because there is no air movement . It
nevertheless remains healthy because of (1) above.
.
Click on each photo for a larger image
Above and below
One of my bigger Type Victorian terrariums, loosely modelled upon a
Victorian engine house. Tall (about 18" or 460mm) with arched windows, this
commissioned version came without a door so is not a
true terrarium.
This terrarium as with most of my pieces used modern 2mm
picture glass and Victorian coloured glass scrounged
or bought from wherever old leaded light windows/doors might
be found. The clue to such glass is its' light colour ,
irregular thickness and
limited colour range. Stained glass is, as the name would
suggest, is essentially clear glass that has been stained
and those colours are usually a lot deeper and brighter.
Below
This "Type Victorian" was particularly tall, some
700mm high it sold very well with different combinations of glass colour and pattern. . Very simple in
style it had a wide base that allowed for a lot planting
with sufficient room for at least one tall specimen plant. The
door on this type simply "lent back" against a stop.
Not sure that the hanging hessian and the back
lighting was such a good idea but, if any of these
terrariums are still intact they will now be over 26 years
old !
Above and below
This "Type
Victorian" was made with a number of
variations. Sometimes Hexagonal, other times Octagonal. All
of them around 1foot (300mm) high as per the ruler,
and with high or low pitched roofs. The design
largely evolved as I went
along, the glass content is determined by what I had (or
present tense have) and
what I think I can do with it. In the type
below, the purple "bobbly" glass is used sparingly and
seems to be quite rare. It was often used in the
original windows to
create a mini frame within the window.
Below
On this model the door is hinged , and it can be lifted off for
cleaning. There is a little pin (top left of the door) that
is dropped into place to hold the door shut. There is
a small air gap but as the case is not destined to
spend 6 months on the deck of an old sailing ship, it is of
little consequence. See below
for more details.
Below
This type has a roof where four of the panels have
been made (like all of these Victorian Types )in a vaguely early Victorian style. Unlike the type
above, the door drops into a channel and there is a wire
hoop to lift it out.
How does it all work then ?
Traditionally "Lead Came" has been used for "Leaded
lights" i.e. windows built up using clear and coloured glass; from
churches through to Art Deco doors and windows. "Lead
came" formed into an "I" section grips the glass. At the
joins, a large soldering iron is used to fuse
the "cames" together.
Back in the 1890s
Louis Comfort Tiffany developed the use of
copper foil for making his - now famous - lamps. The point
being, that copper foil is altogether lighter-
literally and figuratively. With copper foil one can develop
light and intricate patterns. In essence copper foil with an
adhesive back is "wrapped" around the edges of the cut
glass.
For more info there are some videos on u tube but one of
them is frankly ponderous and dull :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRz_VAhQv1g
while the other is just awful !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AE3xUFgnyk. No
doubt there are better ones if you hunt around.
When any two "wrapped" pieces are brought together and
solder is run into the seam between them, the effect is to
build up an "I" section around each edge of the glass. This
is it, the lead "grips" the glass, no glue, no chemical
bonding. There is nothing
beyond what may be thought of as a tightish grip on the
glass. In both the came and foil methods, the
glass is only ever gripped firmly.
Consequently, as leaded light windows flex the the
grip is relaxed and the glass becomes loose (slamming Edwardian
front doors particularly). In churches you will often see
steel rods or mesh affixed to the stone wall behind the
window, the window will have been wired to this
reinforcement to discourage any further flexing.
Below
A brand new terrarium underway (November 2009). Covered in flux it is not a
pretty sight! The aperture for the door is to the right. 4x
of the 8x roof panels have been "tacked" into place. To add
visual interest the 4x roof panels have each been made up
from two right angled triangles which also a much more
efficient way of using the glass.
Making an enclosed structure like a terrarium means
that if all the panels are slightly over or under size the
cumulative error can be large. The trick for a successful
outcome is to continually minimize that error. Grinding
glass panels this size to size is a long slow process,
so accuracy
in cutting is the secret. Typically, and once the base is
in place for an octagonal type, I will cut 4x pieces and fit
them as opposites then, adjusting for error, fit the
remaining 4x pieces (as per above for the roof) and so on, steadily building up
to the finial.
Below left
Close up of the seaming, the glass was cut and then
joined back together for the "arched window" effect. The inside of the foil can
be seen as can be seen all the flux on the glass. The
relatively small area of
solder seaming on each side of the glass is all that holds the
structure together.
Below right
There are various ways of developing patterns and
cutting the glass. For my work I usually draw out the shapes
on a piece of melamine faced mdf. Laying the glass
over these shapes, I then cut the glass using a "Shaw's
Ball End" glass cutter. The variations in line on the board
reflect the need to make the panels slightly bigger or
smaller for each aperture. Cutting old glass is quite tricky
which is why I prefer the wheeled type of cutter to ride
over all the imperfections rather than a diamond
cutter. One panel such as you see below to cut and fit can
take around an hour to make.
Below
The blue apex glass cut and "foiled". Then the two green
pieces are cut. Is there much wastage you ask. The object of
course is to keep it to the minimum but yes is the answer. Here we are
looking at 4x panels with 5 pieces in each. Chances are I
shall finish up with around a handful of duds, too
big, too small and when cutting acute angles on old glass, the
tip gets lost if I do not get a
good start or finish to the cut.
Below
Dry fit left and right, the panel soldered up.
As the glass usually has a textured and non textured face it
is very easy to complete the panel with one piece of
glass set with the wrong surface facing upwards. Sooooooo
much to think of..... which is why there are many mistakes
along the way.....
Below
Two multicoloured panels tacked into place. Nothing
is seamed up until all the panels are in place and a lot of
fiddling about has ensued in order to try and achieve the
best possible fit.
Above ..
The finished item. There is some misting on the
inside of the glass because I had not left the door
open for the case to fully dry out before taking the
picture.... Still, you get the idea . The peculiar
light around the finial is lens flare from pointing
the lens directly into the sun......
Below Left.
The roof of the terrarium reveals the final
pattern. it is doubtful that anyone will ever look straight
down on the case but, one nevertheless tries.....
Below Right. The door is on hinges , and can be
lifted off if required. The catch is a piece of
brass rod with the top curved into a loop; when
a piece of brass tube affixed to the case and a second piece
of tube affixed to the door are aligned, the rod drops down
and the door is held closed.
How to look after your Terrarium.
Not many rules. In a modern house a case set back from
the window will thrive. Sunlight should not be direct on a
southern or western facing window (in the summer at least) otherwise everything
inside the case will "cook up".
In the first instance do not over water. To
underwater is preferable. Remove any and all dead material
at the outset, pounce on any new dead material and remove
it. If any rotting is evident leave the door open on
the case for a few days to allow the soil to dry out then
close up without adding any more water, far less any feed.
Condensation on the inside of the glass first thing is fine in the
morning it should quickly clear with sunlight. This
means that the placing is pretty much spot on. Another sign of a successful placing is the
gradual development of a
green growth on the inside of the glass at and below soil
level on the surfaces facing the light
-then you know everything is just so.
Occasionally wipe the surface of the glass with lint free cloth or
kitchen towel and a touch of a clear window
cleaner (not that pink stuff or anything like it which will lead to an
unsightly mess around the leaded seams).
At night, a small lamp pointing at or through the Wardian case
can provide a pleasing effect.
Below
In the UK you will be lucky to keep anything like
an adiantum (Maidenhair fern) going in any room except
a warm and humid bathroom. Pop it into a Wardian Case and it
will thrive wherever you put the case. Bright green
plants tend to set off a case and vice versa .
Here planted up with adiantum (also known as
maidenhair fern) and helexine soleriolii
(also known as "mind your own business" ) used as a simple
ground cover.
Pinewood Studios
The terrarium, below, was a commission from Pinewood
Studios. The brief was that it should be large, pick up
a few design cues of the period and not be overly fussy.
It was to sit on a long table in a library - circa 1842.
At the table in this
library will be sitting the young Adele with Jane Eyre
her governess . The studio would tell me no more than that.
At the time of going to computer (May 1st 2010) the
little I know of the film is that Dame
Judi Dench plays Mrs Fairfax (housekeepr) and that:
( a) It is for the BBC and (b) apparently the director
has not read the book Jane Eyre !
Some time later and more information has been found ....
http://www.movieweb.com/movie/jane-eyre-2010 and
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article7106705.ece
This terrarium (aka Wardian Case) is some 24" long,
14" deep (355mm) and 15" high (380mm) high .
There are 82 discrete pieces of glass ( excluding the base)
and about 3 kilos of lead solder in it. It took 3 long ish
days to make and 99% of the shape, size, angles
etc were achieved by eye. The planting
includes: Maidenhair fern, Boston fern, Asparagus fern
and a small Aspidistra.
You may be wonder if the
construction of the case is consistent with the
period? The answer is not at all . So far as I know, the use of copper foil was pioneered by Louis Comfort Tiffany in
the 1890's and so post dates the era of the film. As to
whether the choice of plants is consistent with what
was in the country in the mid 19C is something
I have
not researched . The studio was not concerned
and so, neither was I !!
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