With the first phase of the project completed at Great Yarmouth’s historic Winter Gardens, work is now underway to ensure sufficient funding is in place for the ambitious restoration.
Initial exploratory enabling works, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, were started by contractors last autumn and, now that has concluded, the council says additional investment is needed to deliver the high-quality and community-focused vision for what is the country’s last-surviving Victorian seaside glasshouse.
Councillor Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: ‘’The enabling works were designed to reveal a detailed picture of the condition and fabric of the building before the next stages of the scheme could begin.
‘’We have a stunning vision for the Winter Gardens and are determined to see that delivered for Great Yarmouth and the wider community. It will be a fantastic national asset and dovetails with our shortlisting for the UK’s first-ever Town of Culture award.
‘’What we couldn’t have known is precisely how much more the next steps will now involve and cost. With costs in the construction industry rising rapidly over the past few years, the funding in place is no longer sufficient.’’
With most of the vast Grade II*-listed cast iron structure now uncovered after decades of disrepair, global increases in construction costs, inflation and wider economic pressures mean that contracts for the work proposed at the nationally significant landmark will be more expensive than anticipated.
The council says the enabling works – which included surveying, testing and investigations – means more is known about the Winter Gardens than at any point in its 120-year history.
It is also considering the impacts of increasingly rapid climate change and how the building can operate sustainably with complex temperature controls and water management a significant factor.
A wide range of funding options are now being explored to deliver the vision for the iconic building. The council says the restoration will reflect local people’s feedback and, throughout the development of the scheme, the project team has been meeting with residents, stakeholders and community groups.
Councillor Smith said: ‘’We want a re-imagined Winter Gardens that is of the greatest possible benefit for residents, visitors and the local economy. Protecting and celebrating the building’s heritage is at the heart of our ambitions, with the aim of creating a vibrant, year-round destination.’’
‘’We have a compelling case to be the country’s first Town of Culture in 2028 and making sure our plans for the Winter Gardens are right for the community and the future is more crucial than ever.’’
Great Yarmouth is one of five locations in the medium-sized category for the inaugural competition and, if its bid is successful, it will go head-to-head with the winners of the small and large town categories to compete to be the overall winner and earn a £3m prize.
In 2023, The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £11.85m to the council to restore the Winter Gardens. Combined with £6 million from the Government’s UK Towns Fund and a £500,000 grant from Historic England, the aim is for the unique building to be at the heart of Great Yarmouth’s life, economy and historical legacy for decades to come, complementing the wide range of leisure options on the town’s golden mile.
The Winter Gardens has been closed since 2008 and is currently on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Built between 1878-1881 in Torquay and relocated to Great Yarmouth in 1904, it represents the pinnacle of Victorian cast iron and glass design and engineering.
