English seaside town to reopen abandoned attraction with £16.3million revamp
AN English seaside town is to reopen one it’s main attractions after a 17-year-closure with a multi-million project.
Great Yarmouth’s Winter Gardens was first built in 1878 – although this was in Torquay, and eventually moved to where is is now in 1904.
Once used as a ballroom and exhibition venue, and even a roller-skating rink, it sadly it was forced to close in 2008.
However, it is set to be restored and hopes to be the “People’s Palace” once again.
The project is being backed by a £12.3million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as £4million Government’s Town Deal Fund.
Inside the Grade II listed building will be indoor gardens, as well as entertainment and leisure venues.
Cafes will also be part of the project, which has been backed by Royal Botanic Gardens.
The attraction – which is the UK’s last surviving Victorian glasshouse on a seaside – will also restore some of the original features such as the cast ironwork.
Iain Robertson, who is leading the construction said: “‘Apart from working to save the building, the team aims to create an all-year-round destination and a facility for the inclusion of the local community which is focused on free access for local people.”
Works will start this year and it hopes to open by 2027.
Designed by local Torquay architects John Watson and William Harvey, costing £12,783 – around £1.9million in today’s money.
However, it was then bought by Great Yarmouth Town Council before being transported and placed on Wellington Pier.
As well as live shows, it was even once an amusement arcade and a beer garden.
After closing in 2008, it was deemed too expensive to tear down and was named as one of the most endangered buildings in the UK.
The reopening of the Winter Gardens in the UK will take around three years.
In the mean time, you can visit Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach which was named one of the best seaside attractions in the UK.
Last year the theme park opened the new Polar Express circular ride, which replaced the 20-year-old Mulan ride.
Otherwise there is the Hippodrome, which has live shows all year round.
The Sun visits Great Yarmouth
The Sun’s Showbiz Reporter Shan Ally recently visited.
My base while in town was the Premier Inn, near to the Pleasure Beach amusement park.
I couldn’t resist the traditional wooden roller- coaster or the arcade slot machines, which took me back to childhood.
But there’s so much more on offer in Great Yarmouth than the usual seaside attractions.
For those keen to look into the town’s history, as far back as the origin of the Ice Age, the Time And Tide Museum is a great way to spend an afternoon.
Or there’s the Tolhouse Gaol, one of the UK’s oldest prisons, dating to the 12th Century, where I was shown the original cells that housed thieves, murderers, witches and pirates.
And the Wellington Pier arcades are set to double in size, expanding into a huge family entertainment area.
We asked Sun readers for their favourite things to do in Great Yarmouth – here are some of them.