IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION OF ROOFs
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN BERGER SPENCE of 31 Lombard Street, in the City of London, Merchant
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTION OF ROOFs" to be as follows:-
THE
The object of this invention is to provide a temporary transparent covering to
recreation or pleasure grounds in winter, to form a winter garden, without the
necessity for taking down.the covering during the summer.
To this end propose to cover one half the space forming the pleasure ground
with a permanent roof of metal and glass of any approved construction. To cover
the other half of the ground, I provide a movable roof, which I so arrange that it
may be slidden, by preference, over the permanent roof during the summer months
so as to leave that portion of ground open to the air.
The sliding roof, which may be a span roof, I construct of steel girders, of lattice
or other form, secured together by cross braces of similar form, auch girders being
connected at either end to a carriage, which will be provided with wheels or
runners to run on a suitable track. The movement. of the sliding roof into and
out of position may be conveniently effected by hydraulic pressure.-The track
may be supported on suitably constructed masonry, or on columns braced together
in any convenient manner.
The movable roof will be covered with glass, which may be carried by light steel
or other rafters.
Means may bo provided, if thought desirable, for holding down or securing the
sliding roof in either position.
As the span of the roof would be somewhat great, I propose to use steel for the
girders, as above mentioned, for if iron were used for the purpose, the weight of
the roof would be increased by about rd.
If desired, the sliding roof may be made in sections having, say,
two main
girders to each section, properly braced together, with the light steel rafters to
carry the glass.
The sections may be slidden into place separately, and their sides provided with
overlapping portions to form weather-tight connections.

page_text: I JOHN BERGER SPENCE of 31 Lombard Street in the City of London, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide a temporary transparent covering to
recreation grounds or pleasure gardens in winter, to form a winter garden, without
the necessity for taking down the covering during the suminer.
To this end, I cover one half the space forming the pleasure ground with a
permanent roof of metal and glass of any approved construction.
To cover the
other half of the ground, I provide a movable roof, which I so arrange that it may
be slidden over or under the permanent roof during the summer months, so as to
leave that portion of ground open to the air.
The sliding roof I construct of steel girders of lattice or other form secured
together by cross braces of similar form, such girders being connected at either end
to a carriage which will be provided with wheels or runners to run on a suitable
track. The movement of the sliding roof onto and out of position may be
conveniently effected by hydraulic pressure.
The track may be supported on suitably constructed masonry, or on columns
braced together in any convenient manner.
The movable roof will be covered with glass, which may be carried by light steel
or other rafters.
Means may be provided, if thought desirable, for holding down, or securing the
sliding roof in either position.
As the span of the roof would be somewhat great, I propose to use steel for the
girders, as above mentioned, for if iron were used for the purpose, the weight of
the roof would be increased by about rds.
If desired, the sliding roof may be made in sections having, say, two main
girders to each section, properly braced together, with the light steel rafters to
carry the glass,
The sections may be slidden into place separately, and their sides provided with
overlapping portions to form weather-tight connections.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown, at Fig. 1, a longitudinal section, at
Fig. 2 a transverse section, and at Fig. 3 a plan view of a single span roof
constructed according to my invention.
Fig. 4 is an elevation on the line x x, Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of
a roof formed of two or more spans.
In all the figures, the same letters refer to corresponding parts.
A A are the supporting side-walls of masonry; B is the fixed roof over a portion
of, the garden, and C is the movable roof. The roofs may be of any suitable
section, and are formed of transverse girders a, and longitudinal girders or cross
braces b, suitably secured together, and the cross braces will support the rafters c
to carry the glass,

page_text: In the movable roof Ċ, the ends of the transverse girders a will be secured to
suitable carriages d, provided with wheels or runners, which will run on ways or
rails e, carried by the supporting walls A.
In the two or more span roof, the outer supports I prefer to make of masonry,
but the inner supports may be columns, D (see Fig. 5). The columns are braced
together and to the side walls by light longitudinal and transverse girders E, and
the longitudinal girders carry the ways or rails for the carriages of the movable
roof C.
The open ends of the roof will be closed in by suitable means.
Although I have shown an arched roof in the drawing, I would remark that
I do not intend to confine myself to such form of roof, and other sections may, if
desired, be employed, without departing from my invention,
Hasing now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: -
A roof for recreation grounds or pleasure gardens, consisting of a fixed or
permanent portion or portions, and a movable portion or portions, said movable
portion or portions being mounted on carriages, which run in ways, or on rails
carried by walls or columns, and arranged to slide over or under the permanent
portion or portions, as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 10th day of Anril 1886
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.