By the mid-19th century plants were being brought to Kew from all over the world, so the Director William Hooker thought there should be a dedicated building to house the temperate plants. Decimus Burton designed it, it was constructed of wood, iron and steel and opened in 1863.

The 5-year restoration project of the Grade 1 listed building (and its surrounding landscape), begun in 2013, will cost £36m and will give opportunities for apprenticeships and trainees, conservators, and archaeologists who are taking the opportunity to examine the area surrounding the building. Funding is coming from various bodies plus private donors, some of whom have given as much as £50,000, and from visitors to Kew, especially to the shop. The Temperate House is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world and after 150 years was in quite a bad condition. Everything is being repaired and the building will be restored to its former glory, including reinstating the Victorian ventilation system and restoring the original statuary. The building was designed so that rainwater was collected in special conduits in the walls. All plants that could be moved have been taken out, except for very large ones. A lot of the plants are actually hardy and probably didn’t need to be housed in the building, so a lot of study is being done on the plants. Many that will go back into the building have been propagated in a special propagation glasshouse from seed from the old plants.

Two lots of scaffolding are being employed to provide access to the building both inside and out. During the current refurbishment all the glass – the 6th generation of glass since the first installation - has been removed (originally greenhouse glass was green). There has been some debate about what colour the framework of the building should be painted - what was it originally? They found some 13 layers of paint. Very powerful water jets are being used to remove the old paint.

The restored building will provide greater opportunities for Kew’s education programme. With an enlarged central area, it will host weddings and other events and there will be changing exhibitions in the flanking octagons. It is due to re-open in May 2018.

Yvonne Masson