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What is the history of the domain Winter Gardens?

Ila Funk
Ila Funk
2025-06-12 16:50:38
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An iconic destination in Pukekawa, the Auckland Domain’s Wintergardens have been a central attraction for visitors and residents for more than 100 years. The Temperate House to the north-east, designed by William Gummer, was built to commemorate the Auckland Industrial Agricultural and Mining Exhibition of 1913-1914, and opened on 1st December 1913. The Tropical House, designed by the expanded practice of Gummer & Ford, was added in 1928, along with the central courtyard areas. More recently, structural strengthening and a faithful restoration of the two buildings has ensured this important part of the city's architectural heritage will endure for many decades to come.
Shanelle Gaylord
Shanelle Gaylord
2025-06-06 10:55:19
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The Domain was set aside in 1880 as a 200-acre public reserve. In the 1880s, a pond and the area immediately surrounding it were used by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society as a testing ground for exotic fish and plant species. The domain area was formed by volcanic activity 140,000 years ago. The beautiful Wintergardens, opened in 1913, consist of two large glasshouses each exhibiting either temperate or tropical plants. Between the glasshouses is an enclosed courtyard with fish pond, fountains and classical marble statues. Behind the Wintergardens, an old quarry forms the perfect location for an extensive native fernery. These early plantings developed into the initial site of Auckland's botanic gardens, leaving a legacy of magnificent mature trees for visitors to enjoy today. The large crater, which has a small scoria cone in its centre, forms a natural amphitheatre for large outdoor events like the annual 'Carols in the Park'. The level floor of the crater is covered with sports fields; a wooden cricket pavilion built in 1898 remains today.
Marion Bailey
Marion Bailey
2025-05-31 20:14:41
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The Wintergarden at the Auckland Domain is a treasure of great historic interest. It was designed in the early 1900s in the style of the famous English partnership of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jeckyll and opened in 1913. The marble statues in the courtyard between the glass houses were added in the 1920s and 30s by local businessman William Elliot. One house is heated and shows off lush tropical and heat-loving plants while the other displays temperate plants changing with the seasons. The Wintergarden complex also includes a wide collection of New Zealand ferns growing in a sunken scoria quarry to the rear. Substantial pergolas link the formal design and host many showy climbers. The Domain Wintergardens are located at the end of Wintergarden Road.
Isabel Lubowitz
Isabel Lubowitz
2025-05-23 23:37:50
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The Winter Garden was designed in the early 1900’s and opened to the public in 1913. It’s a wonderfully cared for and living piece of history. With a constantly changing array of plants and flowers across the two Victorian style glass houses there is always something to check out. The usual suspects to find around the gardens are families, tourists and photographers. Leading off from the formal courtyard is a fernery that is housed within an old quarry. Just next to the Winter Garden there is a duck pond which is great for the kids and provides some serious photo opportunities. And then there is the rest of the Domain – expansive, beautiful and scattered with statues and monuments and changing with every season.
Priscilla Cassin
Priscilla Cassin
2025-05-11 17:26:42
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The Domain Wintergardens were constructed following World War I with funds generated from the Industrial, Agricultural and Mining Exhibition of 1913-1914. The Auckland Domain had been a public park since 1844 but was considered to be an area that was frequented by "undesirables". The Wintergardens were considered to be part of the gentrification of the park, providing an attraction for people in the area during the winter months. Initially only the Temperate House was built, this was opened and presented to the people of Auckland on 12 October 1921. The courtyard, the Tropical House, and the Fernery were added later in the 1920s. The Mayor of Auckland City, George Baildon, officially opened the completed Wintergardens on 2 May 1928. Many of the statues in the courtyard were added in 1945, and the sunken pond in the centre of the gardens was installed in 1954. A significant reconstruction project was undertaken during 1993 and 1994 to renovate the Wintergardens. The glass houses were restored again between 2021 and 2023 at a cost of $5.62m. Additional funding for the Wintergardens came from a variety of other local benefactors, perhaps most significantly was local businessman Sir George Elliot, who was the chairman of the exhibition, and also chairman of the Bank of New Zealand.