Winter Gardens

Background to the project

The Winter Gardens is a Grade II* listed building 'at risk' and currently 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. It has not been open to the public since 2008 but, in previous incarnations, was a symbol of the golden era of the seaside. Public consultation shows real demand from local residents for the Winter Gardens to be brought back to life.

Designed by local 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 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.

Since its closure in 2008, the Council has worked to identify a future sustainable use for the building. In 2021, 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. The project team is now working on the full restoration and repurposing of the building.

How is the project funded?

The project is funded in part by the Town Deal Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Council.

Further investments are being sought to support this ambitious project.

What are the plans for the building?

The project aims to:

save, restore and repurpose the Winter Gardens
be a powerful commercial contributor to the regeneration of Great Yarmouth's seafront
be an innovative environmental project

The building will reopen as an all-year-round venue, and will have two coherent and integrated parts:

a visitor experience for exploring the heritage of the Winter Gardens/Great Yarmouth, focusing on heritage, environmental change and sustainability
a food and drink offering with a commercial operator partner

How can I get involved?

The project team is currently running a series of community engagement events to share plans for the space and gather feedback and ideas from local groups. If you or your organisation would like to take part, please get in touch via the email below.

As the project develops, there will be lots of opportunities to get involved by taking part in volunteering activities. If you would like to hear about future volunteering opportunities, please get in touch via the email below. You will be sent a short form and asked to provide contact information.

To take part in a group consultation about Winter Gardens engagement, or to enquire about volunteering, please email pmo@great-yarmouth.gov.uk.

Concept Design

Transformation

The new scheme will incorporate a range of new additions to transform the Winter Gardens into a flexible entertainment space, with food and beverage.

Alongside planting, the building will include:

event space with stage and seating
restaurant and bar
multi-purpose activity space
various activities and engagement with the history and plants

The Winter Gardens offers the opportunity to celebrate the town's heritage with an exciting attraction for 21st century use.

Look and Feel

The look and feel of the space is designed to give a calming backdrop to the vibrant flexible space within. All of the existing cast and wrought iron structure will be repaired and repainted the original off-white colour. Taking inspiration from the colours of a sea thistle, new interventions will be painted a pale green-blue to distinguish the old from the new.

Colour Palette

all of the existing cast and wrought iron structure will be repaired and repainted the original off-white colour
a material palette has been chosen to compliment the building and reference the Winter Garden's seafront setting
new interventions will be painted a pale green-blue to distinguish the old from the new
local plant species have been used as inspiration for the colour palette
the look and feel of the space is designed to give a calming backdrop to the vibrant flexible space within.

Materials

sand-coloured terrazzo with recycled glass will be used on the ground floor
on the first floor, re-purposed timber flooring will be bleached to mimic the colour of driftwood
new steelwork required to support the tower will be painted a light green tone with balustrades to match
the terracotta colour of the existing tiled plinths will be picked up in selected areas such as tiling.

Planting

Historically, all planting was pushed to the perimeter of the building. The proposal is sensitive to the need to balance a comfortable environment for people with a suitable environment for plants.

This prioritised the majority of the central space for activities within the People's Palace.

The proposal is sensitive to the need to balance a comfortable environment for people with a suitable environment for plants.

Moveable planters at ground floor can be pushed against the walls during activities. Islands of larger, tropical plants are located near the eating area. Species will refer to the Victorian Planting, using ferns, pelargoniums, orchids, and palm trees. Reference to trading routes will also be reflected in the chosen species.

Species will refer to the Victorian Planting, using ferns, geraniums, orchids, and palm trees. Reference to trading route will also be reflected in the chosen species.

New external landscaping and public seating to the north side, marking out a safe pedestrian walkway.

Operation and Innovation

The new scheme aims to be as sustainable as possible 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 project has adopted a 'fabric first' approach to protect the historic structure.

Passive techniques have been developed to heat, cool and ventilate the space with the minimal use of energy and resources.

This provides solutions that are easy to maintain and operate whilst making the building comfortable inside and able to be used all year round.

Passive and low-energy techniques

Specific window openings will encourage 'stack ventilation' and draw cool, fresh air into the building in summer.

Heating will be generated by air source heat pumps which transfer excess heat from the surrounding air into the building.

New tanks will store and recycle rainwater provide the plants with water.

Where can I follow the project online?

Information about the project, and how to get involved, is currently promoted on the Council's social media channels:

You can filter for information using the hashtag #WinterGardensGY.

RIBA Stage 3

RIBA 3 Design Report

The project has reached RIBA Stage 3, concept design and has achieved planning permission. The multi-disciplinary team are now seeking technical advice to further develop the restoration project.

View the Planning Decision 2023 (opens new window) and the Listed Building Consent decision 2023 (opens new window)

For technical information and plans for the building, download the following reports: