From Monday 20 April, parts of the Glasshouse Range will be closed for a few weeks while essential repairs are carried out to the internal walkway along the Glasshouse corridor. During this time, half of the Glasshouse Range will be inaccessible to visitors.
Work will start on the Eastern side (Arid Lands, Tropical Wetlands), with the western areas up to the Tropics House remaining accessible. Once work is completed here, the Eastern end will open and the Western area (Continents Apart, Ocean Islands, Mountains House) will close.
Repairs will include removing and repairing the steel service duct covers and replacing the paving.
We apologise for any inconvenience while works are carried out.
History of the Glasshouse Range
The first Glasshouses on this site were built in 1855 and then rebuilt in white painted pine between 1888 and 1891. By 1931, fungal rot had begun to affect the structure and several sections were replaced with Burmese teak.
The 1888 design was considered innovative, featuring a corridor stretching more than 90 yards with a series of glasshouses running along its southern edge, a layout that was preserved during the 1934 rebuilding.
In 1989, the teak structure in the Tropics House became unsafe and too costly to restore, leading to its reconstruction in steel. Much of the 70-year-old teak, however, was carefully repurposed during the 2005-6 restoration of the Temperate House, helping to preserve an important part of the Garden’s heritage.
Most recently, the wooden sections of the Glasshouse Range were refurbished in 2020 after more than 30 years.
