The Restoration of Great Yarmouths Winter Gardens
The last survivor of a British seaside tradition, the Grade II* Winter Gardens is currently unused, in a poor state of repair and on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Following restoration, this building of national significance will once again become a colourful and animated People’s Palace at the heart of the town’s life, economy, and heritage.
The project will return the magnificent cast-iron structure to a year-round attraction; a flexible entertainment, activity & events, education and community space, with food and beverage.
The new scheme aims to be as sustainable as possible, whilst respecting the historic fabric, and has implemented a 'Net Zero Carbon in Operation' strategy. Passive techniques have been developed to heat, cool and ventilate the space with the minimal use of energy and resources.
The planting proposal, with species referring to the Victorian planting and reflecting the town’s former trading routes, is sensitive to the need to balance a comfortable environment for people with a suitable environment for plants. New external landscaping and public seating will be provided.
The building will include an event space with stage and seating; restaurant and bar; and a multi-purpose activity space. An integrated Interpretation Strategy will encourage engagement with heritage, biodiversity, sustainability, climate adaptation and future resilience.
The restoration has been made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players. It is one of five successful NLHF Heritage Horizon Awards projects, aimed at ambitious, innovative and transformational schemes that will revolutionise UK heritage.
The history of the building
Great Yarmouth’s Winter Gardens is a Grade II* listed “at risk” building, which has for a number of years stood in a decaying state without a sustainable, viable use. It is the last surviving example of a Victorian ironwork glasshouse in the UK that sits on a seaside promenade and as such of national importance.
Designed by Torquay architects John Watson and William Harvey, the Winter Gardens was first built in Torquay between 1878 and 1881 at a cost of £12,783. It functioned as a pleasure palace designed to extend the tourism season by offering a fun venue for leisure and entertainment. In 1903, the glasshouse was purchased by J.W. Cockrill on behalf of Great Yarmouth Town Council for £1,300, transported by barge in 1904 and reconstructed next to Wellington Pier, where it still stands today.
Historically the building was filled with exotic planting, which allowed the public the chance to see glimpses of faraway places, through an eclectic collection of plants from all corners of the Empire and beyond. In 1909, a maple floor was laid. Used for concerts, dancing and skating, the interior was adorned by flower beds, trailing plants and displays in hanging baskets and had an organ above the entrance at the west end. This landmark structure, gleaming and brilliant, was flooded with electric light at night which beamed out like a beacon across the seafront.
The Winter Gardens were gradually altered over time, with extensions added throughout the 20th century to suit the emerging needs of its users. Over the decades the commercial offer and use of the building changed to reflect the changing times – often providing large scale commercial operations in the food, beverage and events and celebrations markets. Throughout the Winter Gardens has been a key part of the seaside culture and, in the latter part of the twentieth century it was host to bierkellers, a roller-skating rink and much more.
In the 1970s the space was leased to private organisations, during which time it suffered from a lack of management planning and insufficient repairs and maintenance. After years under an amusements and entertainment operation of increasingly poor quality, the Winter Gardens closed in 2008 after over 100 years as an entertainment attraction.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council took control of the Winter Gardens, to explore options for its renovation, in 2014. The threat to the building, and its significance, has been recognised with it being put on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ register. In its present poor state, the Winter Gardens puts a blight on the liveliest portion of the Golden Mile seafront. An innovative retrofit approach was required to ensure a sustainable viable use for the building, that would attract sufficient capital funding, as it is of danger of becoming beyond repair if allowed to continue to deteriorate at its current rate.
The Winter Gardens was one of five transformational heritage projects across the country to be awarded a Heritage Horizon Award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2021. A project team is now working on the full restoration and repurposing of the building, and has secured Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for the restoration.
In February 2024 the NLHF confirmed funding for the delivery of the project. The project, which is also partly funded by the Town Deal Fund and Great Yarmouth Borough Council, aims to save, restore and repurpose the Winter Gardens, as well as being a powerful commercial contributor to the regeneration of Great Yarmouth’s seafront and an innovative environmental project.