IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HORTICULTURAL STRUCTURES, CASES, OR ENCLOSED SPACES FOR USE IN GROWING SEEDS, PLANTS,, FRUIT TREES. AND OTHER VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS."
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Looker, of Kingston-on-Thames, in
the County of Surrey, Brick and Tile Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HORTICULTURAL
STRUCTURES, CASES, OR ENCLOSED SPACES FOR USE IN GROWING SEEDS, PLANTS,,
FRUIT TREES. AND OTHER VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Looker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th February 1870.
I, BENJAMIN LOOKER, of Kingston-on-Thames, in the County of
Surrey, Brick and Tile Manufacturer, do hereby declare tlie 'nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION. OF HORTI-
CULTURAL STRUCTURES, CASES, OR ENCLOSED SPACES FOR USE IN GROWING SEEDS,
PLANTS, FRUIT TREES, AND OTHER VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS," to be as follows:-
I construct chairs or slabs of earthenware material, the lower part
of each whereof should have a broad part or footing so as to take a
firm position on the ground or on a wall, and the upper part be recessed

page_text: for the reception of the lower edge or edges of a plate or-plates,- sheet -or-
sheets of glass, as hereafter described: I also use ridge tiles or pieces,
the lower edge of each whereof has a recess or recesses for the reception
of the upper edge or edges of the plate or plates, sheet or sheets of glass
above mentioned. These chairs or slabs are to be placed in lines to form
the walls of the structure or enclosed space, and upon the slabs so placed
the sheets or plates of glass are to be placed so as to form a double
inclined roof, the apex whereof is formed by the ridge tiles above
mentioned, that is to say, the line of walls is made, the glasses and ridge
tiles are fitted, and the whole structure is complete with the exception
of the ends, which may be formed by means of chairs, slabs, and glasses
similar to those described, except that they are shaped to suit the shape
of the ends of the structure or cnclosed space. Various forms may be
adopted, for instance, fern cases may be made of octagonal and other
forms, and the slabs may be made of hollow ware, and shaped to
suit the circumstances of each case. The sheets or plates of glass
may be of any convenient size, the width of my structures or cases
being increased or diminished accordingly, and several ranges of these
-structures-might be placed togetlier with suitable communication between
them so -as-to-form-regular greenhouses. In order to ventilate the
interior of these structures or cases it will simply be necessary to
remove one or more of the ridge tiles. The glasses can also be readily
removed when necessary, and the whole structure readily taken to pieces
and removed when required. In some cases other substances might
be substituted for earthenware, in regard to those parts above stated to
be made of that material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Looker in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 12th August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN 3
LOOKER, of Kingston-on-Thames, in the County of Surrey, Brick and
Tile Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy, in the thirty- 3
third year of Her. reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Looker, Her special licence
that I, the said Benjamin Looker, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said. Benjamin Looker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might, make, use, 'exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF HORTICULTURAL STRUCTURES, CASES, OR ENCLOSED SPACES FOR USE
) IN GROWING SEEDS, PLANTS, FRUIT TREES, AND OTHER VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS;"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin Looker,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under' my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals; should' particularly describe
and' ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Looker, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
O be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following. statement :—
I construct chairs or slabs of earthenware material, the lower part of
each whereof should have a broad' part or footing so as to take a firm
position on the ground or on a wall, and the upper part be recessed for
the reception of the lower edge or edges of a plate or plates, sheet or
sheets of glass as herein-after described. I also use ridge tiles or pieces
with the lower edges of each. recessed for the reception of the upper
edges of the plates or sheets of glass above mentioned (or when the
roofing is to be a single incline each ridge tile or piece should be
> recessed as above mentioned, so that the edge of the glass may fit into
the one recess and the back of the case into the other). These chairs
or slabs are to be placed in lines to form the walls of the structure or
cnclosed space,: and upon
the slabs so placed the sheets or plates of glass.
are to be placed so as to form a double inclined roof the apex whereof is
› formed by the ridge tiles above mentioned. In some cases, however, a
single incline roof may as above intimated be adopted when the ridge
tiles:fit-on-one side on the glass, and on the other on the top of the back
of the case or enclosed space. In construction the line of walls is made,

page_text: the glasses and ridge tiles are fitted together, and the whole structuro
is complete with the exception of the ends, which may be formed by
means of chairs, slabs, and glasses similar to those described except that
they are shaped to suit the ends of the structure or enclosed space.
Various forms may be adopted, for instance, fern cases may be made of
octagonal and other forms, and the slabs may be made of hollow ware
and shaped to suit the circumstances of each case, and sometimes
instead of the walls being made of slabs or picces of carthenware as
described the sides and ends might be made all in one piece with
moveable glasses and the ridge tiles or pieces herein-before described
fitted thereto, and to construct such a case or box I prefer to express
clay in a plastic state through a moulding orifice with a core the slape
and size of the case (or box), by which means a plain tube is mado
which is cut off with wire at any required length. The tubes are then
cut with wire the necessary shape on the top. The sheets or plates of
glass may be of any convenient size, the width of my structures or cases
being increased or diminished accordingly, and if anyone should desire
so to do several ranges of these structures might be placed together with
suitable communication between them so as to form regular greenhouses.
To ventilate the interior of those structures or cases it will simply be
necessary to remove one or more of the ridge tiles, the glasses can also
be readily removed when necessary, and the whole structure readily taken
to pieces and moved out of the way when required. In some cases
other substances might be substituted for carthenware for those parts.
above stated as being made of that material, but in no case should the 2
ridge tiles be made of any other substance than earthenware, glass,
or metal galvanized or painted.
This Specification I have accompanied by Drawings illustrative of the
nature of my said Invention and showing how the same is to be per-
formed or carried out in practice.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
3
Fig. 1 is outline of a case, box, or structure with double inclined roof
with its apex formed by one of my ridge tiles or pieces being placed on
the top thereof above the glasses which form the roofing; Fig. 2,
elevations of side and end slabs or chairs; Fig. 3, plan of same showing 3
them placed together so as to form part of the side and end of a

page_text: In Fig. 1, A, A, denotes the ends; B, B, the front and back; C, O,
sloping glasses forming roof; D, D, cap or cover formed by a ridge tile
or piece being placed on the top of the glasses, as shown. The double
slanting roof is here shown, but it is evident that by terminating the
ends A, A, at the line W-X, the case or box will then be single roofed
instead of having a double inclined roof. In the slab built cases or
structures the ends A, A, are usually formed from the dotted line Z to
the apex of glasses of the same shape of ends as shown in Fig. 1.
In Figs. 2 and 3, F denotes the side slab with a broad footing f, and ƒª a
recess at the top of the slab for the lower edge of the roofing glasses to
fit into; G denotes the end slab, which is rebated as shown at *, *, so as
to allow the body and footing of the slab to fit thereto. The footing fis
at F, G, G, Figs. 2 and 3, shown as curved, but it may be made straight
as shown by the dotted lines if required. Instead of having the end
slab rebated as shown the end slab may be mitred and the side slab
which is to fit it correspondingly mitred,
66
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or
carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the Invention of
'Improvements in the Construction of Horticultural Structures, Cases,
or Enclosed Spaces for use in Growing Seeds, Plants, Fruit Trees, and
other Vegetable Productions," comprising a body or lower part, glass
roofing, and ridge tile or cap, all readily detachable from each other for
ventilation and transport, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Looker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
BENJ. LOOKER. (L.S.)
Witness.
THOMAS MORGAN,
Secretary,
Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross.