Kew’s Temperate House – one year to go, the first reveal

Four years ago, the world’s largest surviving Victorian glasshouse closed its doors for a highly ambitious, five year long re-generation project (from 2013 – 2018), seeking to return the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s magnificent Temperate House to its former glory. With one year to go until its grand unveiling, one wing of this glistening cathedral has now re-emerged from its covers, and is one step closer to a glorious return as the beating heart of Kew.

Andrew Williams, Temperate House Precinct project director said: “This has been a mammoth undertaking for Kew, and it has been an absolute joy to watch the transformation of this magnificent building, steeped in history and heritage, over the past four years. But this is not just an architectural masterpiece; inside the Temperate House is a visually inspiring and educational world that reveals the extraordinary life of plants, their relevance to us all and how plants can help us overcome some of the major global challenges we face.”

Background

Opened in 1863 and designed by the eminent architect Decimus Burton, this grade 1 listed glasshouse was built to house exotic plants arriving in Kew by the shipload from intrepid plant hunters all over the world. Fast forward 154 years, and this iconic structure is still home to some of the world’s rarest and most threatened plants, hailing from the Mediterranean, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America, Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Restoration work

Over the past four years, the entire framework and ventilation system of this vast building have been repaired, with thousands of panes (5653m²) of glass replaced, ironwork returned to its glossy best, decorative urns and statuary restored, wide paths re-paved and the central area transformed into a grander space. This incredible new home will not only house 1,500 different species of plants, but will give schools and community groups the chance learn about and be inspired by plants, acting as a community hub, educational space, artistic haven, and global meeting place.

Matt Blowers, managing director of ISG’s UK Construction South, Hospitality and Fit Out divisions says, “Reaching this significant milestone in the preservation of a genuinely unique structure is a moment to reflect on the sheer scale and complexity of this undertaking. Over 69,000 individual elements have been carefully removed, tagged, cleaned and repaired if necessary, and all have then been painstakingly reinstated. As the Temperate House emerges from beneath its protective covering over the coming months, we’re immensely proud to have played a role in preserving this landmark structure for future generations and further enhancing Kew’s global reputation.”

Inside the Temperate House

As visitors walk through the doors of Kew’s newly opened Temperate House next May, they will step inside another world. A world of luscious plant life and sumptuous, romantic beauty, but also a world revealing an urgent message, that plants are the foundation of all life on earth, and they are in trouble. With the global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security, these incredible plant collections, resplendent in their newly renovated home, will highlight Kew’s role in safeguarding rare and threatened plants from extinction.

To tell this story, some of the world’s rarest plants in the world will be on display, including the South African cycad Encephalartos woodii. Only one specimen of this cycad has ever been found growing in the wild, which has long since disappeared. The cycad now only remains in botanic gardens and private collections around the world, with only males found. Visitors will also be able to walk beneath the beautiful Saint Helena ebony Trochetiopsis ebenus – believed to be extinct for over 100 years, and with only two specimens left growing in the wild, Kew’s ex-situ conservation work has been invaluable in securing the future of this species.