Kew Gardens Temperate House Water Cascade

The restoration of the temperate house  - the world’s largest Victorian Glasshouse  was a lengthy and complex project is considered ‘the true jewel in Kew’s Crown’ and is to be a sanctuary for some of the rarest and most threatened plants from temperate regions across the globe.

 

ALD had the great honour of working with Fountains Direct to bring back to life the water cascades and lake within the New Zealand Planting area as part of the Temperate House Restoration.

 

This refurbishment comprised the recreation of an open pool with raised area of rockwork over which filtered water cascades down and back into the pool.  The pool is shallow, but with varying underwater shelves that reflect Kew’s planting proposals for semi and aquatic planting, providing planting pockets for specific plants, and to enable it to look like the plant material is cascading into and around the water feature.

 

All the rockwork elements were formed using stone from the original water feature that was carefully removed and stored offsite at Kew awaiting for an appropriate time to be returned. 

 

ALD assisted in preparing detailed design proposals for the pool, rockwork cascade, associated structural engineering and water feature M&E (pumps, controls, pipework and filtration systems), undertaking design team meetings and site visits.