Winter Gardens ‘Show and Tell’ event – Great Yarmouth

Winter Gardens event to learn more about restoration and share memories of venue.

With initial work set to get underway on the restoration of Great Yarmouth’s Winter Gardens, people are being invited to a ‘Show and Tell’ event to share memories of the iconic venue.

The event is part of a programme of community activities being planned as part of the ambitious project to restore the Winter Gardens to its former glory.

People are invited to come along to the new library and learning hub at The Place in the town’s Market Place on Wednesday, August 6, from 11am until 3pm, where the aim is to start building a community archive for the Winter Gardens.

The day is being organised by the Roots and the Research Volunteers team which is working with the council as part of its community-led approach and will contribute to shaping the future of the building.

At the event there will be opportunities to discover more about the project from the architects, Burrell Foley Fischer, and how to get involved with volunteering opportunities.

Creative Core – which will be providing explanatory interpretation information for visitors to the Winter Gardens – has also helped organise the event to support its design process. Insights, stories and ideas gathered during the day will help provide detail for displays at the Winter Gardens.

A team from Historic England – which recently awarded a £500,000 grant towards the restoration – will also be on hand and there will be a collection of objects from the Winter Gardens for people to enjoy.

The Winter Gardens was originally erected in Torquay in Devon and opened in 1881. Great Yarmouth bought it for £4,700 and rebuilt it in 1904 beside the entrance to Wellington Pier​.

The building allowed people to ​ see glimpses of faraway places through an eclectic collection of plants from all corners of the empire and beyond.

By the 1950s roller skating – in particular performers in Skaterscades – saw the venue at the height of its popularity. ​It was subsequently turned into a Tyrolean Biergarten with Josef​ Hofer and his orchestra in residence before comedian and television star Jim Davidson took on the lease of the Wellington Pier and Winter Gardens.

It finally closed its doors in 2008 after more than 100 years as an entertainment attraction.​

In 2014 Great Yarmouth Borough Council took control of the site and began developing ambitious plans to bring it back to life​ by ‘Re-imagining the People’s Palace’.

Last year The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £12.3 million to the council to deliver its vision for the Winter Gardens. The funding was made possible thanks to National Lottery players.