76 THE BUILDING CONSERVATION DIRECTORY 2025 CATHEDRAL COMMUNICATIONS GREAT YARMOUTH’S WINTER GARDENS While many historic iron and glass structures have been successfully repurposed, others still face uncertain futures. The Grade II* listed Winter Gardens in Great Yarmouth represents both the challenges of preserving these structures and the innovative approaches being developed to save them. As the only surviving Victorian iron-and-glass structure of its scale situated on a seaside promenade, it holds national significance. The Winter Gardens was originally constructed in Torquay between 1878 and 1881, before being dismantled and transported by barge in 1903 to its present location next to Wellington Pier in Great Yarmouth. Its spectacular architecture features an unusual prominent, tiered lantern and high-quality decorative treatment to both the exterior and interior cast and wrought iron frame. It represents the culmination of Victorian cast iron and glass design and demonstrates the engineering achievement and versatility of such structures. Following decades of exposure to harsh coastal conditions and inadequate maintenance, the glazing system has deteriorated significantly, leading to the Winter Gardens being placed on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Glass degradation is evident throughout, with many panes cracked, missing, or suffering from micro-fractures due to thermal expansion. The delicate iron framework has been compromised by corrosion, while poor roof drainage has exacerbated these issues by allowing water ingress. A new and sustainable retrofit approach has been developed by a team led by Burrell Foley Fischer Architects, to preserve the structure, to ensure the long-term viability of the building, and to secure the capital funding required to prevent further deterioration. Funded by a Heritage Horizon Award of over £12 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, along with additional financial support from the Town Deal Fund and Great Yarmouth Borough Council, the project aims to transform the Winter Gardens into a vibrant cultural and commercial hub contributing to the town’s regeneration and enhancing environmental sustainability. A key element of this restoration involves addressing significant glazing defects, structural weaknesses, and inefficient roof drainage. Although the timber glazed screens and window heads have been replaced, the building is largely intact. All the roof glazing and glazing bars, except the timber framed clerestory lantern to the nave, were installed circa 1990. The system comprises 8mm patent glazing, with moulded aluminium or steel bars and laminated safety glass. The glazing bars rest on the original purlins, and there are lead flashings dressed into the steps between the tiers of glazing. The glazed timber screens were replaced in the late 1940s, with the loss of the original arched headed frames, these were substituted with simpler square headed frames and 4mm thick single pane glass. The only original retained glazing is the high-level convex roundels which were originally lit by candescent lamps. From a sustainability perspective, all of the existing glass provided poor insulation, resulting in extreme temperature fluctuations and material fatigue. Since all the glass would have to be removed to repair the metalwork, and taking into consideration the amount that had already been lost or damaged, replacing it with a betterperforming glass was clearly an option. As the Winter Gardens will continue to function as a botanical and cultural space, a study was conducted by Buro Happold to Great Yarmouth Winter Gardens as it is today and under construction in 1904, pending restoration (Photo: Burrell Foley Fischer) A detail taken from a drone showing water penetration causing wrought ironwork to corrode (Photo: Burrell Foley Fischer)
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