The Glasshouse Restoration at Clumber Park

Clumber Park is celebrating the restoration of the walled kitchen garden’s iconic Glasshouse.

Spanning four acres, the walled kitchen garden at Clumber Park is one of the grandest surviving 18th century walled gardens in England. Work to restore & redecorate the gardens most iconic feature, the Grade II listed Conservatory and Palm House, is now complete and has fully reopened to the public.

Reaching over 137 metres (450 feet), and split into 12 sections, the Glasshouse is the longest in the care of the National Trust. It was installed by the 7th Duke of Newcastle and completed in 1910. Over 110 years old, the design and construction of the Glasshouse is attributed to horticultural builders, James Gray.

After suffering timber rot, glazing breakages and significant timber decay over the years, work started on the central area and east wing of the Glasshouse in August 2023. The six-month long project involved extensive timber splice repairs and resin repairs to retain as much of the original timber structure as possible. The glazing, of which the roof alone has over 800 individual panes, was removed, cleaned, and reused where possible. Additional work included masonry and repointing works, lime-washing walls and re-wiring the Palm House climbing wires, and repair and redecoration of rainwater goods.

The work was carried out by heritage joinery specialists Jericho Joinery Ltd, based in Newark on Trent, and was kindly funded by gifts in wills from supporters.

Now complete, visitors can access the full breadth of the building which also houses a Tools & Vineries museum, apple store & drying room and the old Gardener’s mess room.

The Clumber Park Gardens team, which consists of 7 staff and over 45 frequent volunteers, create spectacular displays in the Conservatory of the Glasshouse each season, and this spring are organising two events to showcase the restored Glasshouse and the much-loved walled kitchen garden.

Coming Up at Clumber Park

Rhubarb Week
Monday 15th – Saturday 20th April, 10am – 4pm
The walled kitchen garden is home to the National Rhubarb Collection, with over 130 varieties, so there is a lot to celebrate here at Clumber when it comes to rhubarb. This event includes rhubarb tasting, a rhubarb trail and tours of the garden.

Blossom Week
Saturday 20th – Sunday 28th April
The National Trust’s Festival of Blossom is a shared national celebration of nature which takes place each spring. This year, enjoy many blossom themed activities including Japanese folklore storytelling, a photography walk, pop-up floristry and poetry workshops.

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This blog was provided by Clumber Park