Kew Gardens Temperate House renovation opens on Saturday the 5th May to the public.
The largest Victorian glasshouse in the world, this beautiful restoration of the original built between 1859 and 1899 has taken 4 years and cost a staggering £41 million to completion partly funded by the National Lottery but also by private and commercial donations.
Everything has been reconditioned or replaced with exacting standards, the pavilion had previously been closed to the public due to dangerous conditions with panes of roof glass falling and the upper gallery delicate walkway too dangerous to walk along.
Some of the rarest plants in the world, some which do not even exist anymore in the wild will be housed here for the public to enjoy and the botanists to research from the Temperate temperature band of the world which includes such diverse habitats as the Himalaya’s, Mexico and Chile, New Zealand and Africa.
There are 10,000 plants inside made up of 1,500 species. Special events and activities are planned so look out on the Kew Gardens website for walking tours, aerial acrobatic performances , evening events and Sunday story times running through to September 2018.
Looking down from the newly renovated walkway at the Temperate House in Kew Gardens at the linked pavilions
Interior walkway showing the soft oyster painted columns, new planting and renovated classic statues in the Temperate House
One corner of the main glasshouse has a cascading waterfall
It is truly a treat to wander around the elevated walkways high up in the main glass pavilion, newly opened in the Kew Gardens Temperate house renovation
The statues and dozens of urns that decorated the pavilion were recast and reinstalled to the original design by Decimus Burton
Wonderful spiral staircases at Temperate House, Kew Gardens
Planting at the Temperate House began in November so catching the spring light and bedding the plants well in before the opening
The majestic Temperate House was built on bank originally only with step access that has now been improved with sloping pathways for wheelchair and buggy ease