Our Heritage

Early Days

At Hartley we are extremely proud of our heritage, below is a timeline throughout our history.

1940

The Hartley factory

Women busy at work in the early days

1940

Headlamp Cowl invented by Vincent Hartley.

Used so effectively in the blackouts of the Blitz, this simple but innovative product helped save many lives.

1950s

Original aluminium greenhouse design patent is registered.

To acknowledge the English Victorians as the worlds's greatest pioneers and inventors, is something of an injustice to Vincent Hartley. In the 1950s he patented his original aluminium greenhouse design, which excelled over its Victorian wood and wrought iron forerunner in every way.

1951

Balansa Scoop invented by the Hartley brothers.

Used for weighing and measuring

1952

Greenhouse leaflet

An early Hartley Leaflet

1954

Hartley receipt

An original Hartley greenhouse order receipt No 959

1954

Hartley invoice

A 1950s Hartley greenhouse invoice

1958

Hartley advertising

A Spring & Winter copies of 'The Greenhouse', a fifties quarterly review for gardeners.

1959

Safe Boil

Prevents burning and boiling over milk

1961

Period greenhouse advertising

The original Hartley range of British greenhouses

1963

Technical greenhouse erection instructions 

Hartley 10 self assembly technical drawing & instructions

victorian classic glasshouse

1993

Hartley Victorian range launched

The year when one of our most popular ranges was born

A Grey Contemporary Greenhouse by Hartley Botanic

2005

Contemporary glasshouses launched

A modern range of contemporary glasshouses

Tradition 8 greenhouse

2005

Tradition range launched

A very popular traditional greenhouse

Brown Hartley Botanic Patio Glasshouse

2010

Patio glasshouses launched

A new range of small glasshouses those with limited space

Hartley Grange Greenhouse

2011

The Grange launched

A popular choice for many customers.

2016

Hartley Range Launched

Launched at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016

2017

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Best Trade Stand 2017

2017

Hyde Hall

Hartley Botanic was commissioned to build a centre piece glasshouse for the RHS Global Growth Vegetable garden at RHS Hyde Hall

2018

RHS 2018 Chelsea Director General's Tradestand Award

Hartley Botanic wins the Director General's Tradestand Award at RHS Chelsea 2018

2019

Self Cleaning Glass

Launch of our Self Cleaning Glass

2019

Magnum Opus Glasshouse

Launch of the Magnum Opus Glasshouse

2019

Hartley Grow and Store

The Hartley Grow and Store is added to the Hartley Botanic range and displayed at RHS Chelsea 2019

2019

RHS Chelsea 2019 Director General's Tradestand Award

Hartley Botanic wins the Director General's Tradestand Award for the second year running at RHS Chelsea 2019

Like our forefathers before we will continue to innovate throughout the 21st century.