[Growster...]

Back in 2006, John mentioned a few facts about barn cloches.

I've discovered, lurking in the long grass, (which was the last of the digging on the derelict 'Patch'), a sizeable tangle of wire framery, which is certainly a cloche frame of some sort, but I'm having trouble figuring out which bit goes where!

Do they eventually 'spring' into shape? I don't mind cutting the new glass panes, as we have loads of that, but I just don't know the sizes etc.

Any ideas anyone please?

[sunshineband]

If the wire is all tangled and it sounds as though it may have been for some time, it seems unlikely it will suddenly spring into shape imho

You could try forcing it with pliers into a usuable form.... you can the measure the size the glass needs to be I guess.

Hope there was not broken glass near it as well

[Gwiz]

is it this sort of thingy....

[mumofstig]

glass sizes for Chase barn cloches are given here (2 sizes of cloche)
http://www.hibbitt.co.uk/prodinfo.php?prod=CC002&cat=10

This shows where the wires are fitted, http://glangwili-farm.blogspot.com/2009/01/everything-has-to-start-somewhere.html
but in the Victorian kitchen garden programme there appeared to be quite a knack to fitting them 

[Growster...]

These are the wire frames, and there seem to be just two pieces available for each design apparently...

They don't appear to be too rusty, and can easily be cleaned up, but I'm intrigued by some of the shorter straight pieces having a small 'nib' in the middle.

Did someone cut them once?

Dunno so far...

[Growster...]

And also, while we're on the subject, here is a pic of my own 'tent' design, made from a few lengths of dowel, some cut glass, and a reel of agircultural wire...

So far, we have eighteen, and I may well do some more, as they're dead easy to make, once you have a template etc.

[Growster...]

Thank you Mum and Gwiz, that is most helpful!

I love seeing 'Barn cloches' and they're mentioned in an old book I have where you use two per sweetcorn plant...!

Must be made of money!

[mumofstig]

Isn't the nib in the middle of the side pieces where the wire handle fits on to it?

I seem to remember that's how they work 

[Growster...]

Isn't the nib in the middle of the side pieces where the wire handle fits on to it?

I seem to remember that's how they work  

I think the nib bit I mentioned, doesn't seem to have any use so far Mum!

You can see from the pic, that the front two short pieces, and the fourth, have a tiny piece welded on at the centre, and which doesn't seem to have any purpose at all!

All very strange this, and, as I learned the other day that the past tenant popped off this mortal coil a couple of months ago, I'll never know...

...unless we solve this mystery ourselves...!

Update...

Staring at these pics just now, I've just suddenly recalled that an old boy who used to have 'The Patch' in the 1980s, had several barn cloches. I can now remember seeing him place them round the rows - very carefully, because they were the first ones of this type I'd seen, apart from the drawing  in Percy Thrower's book!

I think they must have been in the long grass all the time since then, because the previous tenant only kept some of the ground under cultvation...

Still think the wire 'nibs' are the cut off verticals, therefore they possibly will never work again!

Ah well, back to the drawing board...;0)