Several years ago, work began towards a groundbreaking new glasshouse for the Woolbeding Gardens in West Sussex. This was to replace the celebrated Victorian glasshouse that once resided there amongst what former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli called “the loveliest valley in the land”.
Conceived by The Monument Trust in collaboration with the designer and architect Thomas Heatherwick, and supported by the National Trust, the glasshouse needed to be sensitive to the natural and historic beauty of the national park setting – whilst being the focal point for a new garden.
This garden was to be themed around the Silk Route – an idea which emerged in discussion with Fergus Garrett from Great Dixter House and Gardens, who went on to become the planting consultant for the project.
The garden retraces the steps of the ancient trading route between Europe and Asia, demonstrating how flora and trees from these faraway lands route shaped English gardening as we know it today. From Mediterranean evergreens to Gallica roses, many of English horticulture’s most famed species were originally introduced by traders along this route. The glasshouse itself houses the flora of sub-tropical southwest China, as the final step of this journey.
Credit: Hufton+Crow
As well as horticultural legacy, the glasshouse embraces the future with innovative design and cutting-edge engineering. It has a 10-sided pyramidal structure which unfolds to create space in the shape of a crown. It can open on warm days in just four minutes, allowing the plants to access sunshine and ventilation. In colder weather, the structure remains closed, providing shelter and warmth. Thomas Heatherwick said: “This is a place and a project that literally unfolds. You step through this bewitchingly beautiful garden and discover an object that starts like a jewel and ends like a crown, as the glasshouse slowly unfurls.”
The project forms part of the legacy of The Monument Trust. As the Trust closed following 53 years of grantmaking, the Woolbeding Charity was established to complete its work - with the final Monument grant providing a legacy for the glasshouse and garden. This allows the Woolbeding Charity to own and operate the glasshouse, with the kind agreement of the National Trust. This is on an entirely free basis to members of the public – allowing many people to experience this garden and its utterly unique glasshouse.
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