Foster & Pearson was founded in 1841 by horticultural buildings manufacturer Robert Foster and nurseryman John Pearson. It soon acquired an enviable reputation as the leading manufacturer of top quality glasshouses and coldframes – a position it has retained to this day. 

As can be seen from the 1909 brochure (which can be downloaded by clicking here below), it supplied many of the great estates and houses the length and breadth of the country. The clientele included Queen Victoria at Windsor and Osborne House, the Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey, the Astors at Cliveden, the de Rothschilds at Ascott House, the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth, and Lord Middleton at Wollaton and Birdsall. The company exported buildings worldwide – eg to South America, Africa, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Germany. Of particular note were projects for the botanical gardens of Hong Kong and Sydney.

Foster & Pearson was innovative in its design. Notable features included the minimal use of timber and allowing the maximum ingress of light through the use of iron fittings. Minimising the number of joints increased longevity, while an attractive lifting ridge ventilator provided superior weathering. These and many other attributes were standardised by the mid-1870s, and remain an integral part of today’s products.