Decimus Burton's glistening Palm House at Kew Gardens is rightly regarded as one of wonders of London. But did you know there's a free version in south London?
The winged-hatted figure of Mercury pokes up into the heavens above the Cedar of Lebanon trees of Avery Hill Park in Eltham. He stands on one foot atop the winter gardens here, a confection of three glass domes balanced on paprika-coloured brickwork, built in 1889 by John Thomas North as part of a rambling mansion complex, much of which is used today by the University of Greenwich.
North's estate was some real Citizen Kane stuff; in her book The Chemical Conquistador: Colonel North and His Nitrate Dream House, Roberta Woods writes of North:
Twelve years toiling in the heat of the South American nitrate fields, the 'humble mechanic from Leeds' returns. 'Build me a house', he says, and a quarter of a million pounds later, in 1890 he moves into his Victorian extravaganza of a Mansion, with its three roomed Turkish Bath, mini Crystal Palace of a Winter Garden and 100 fox onyx-pillared Picture Gallery.
Indeed, North was one of the wealthiest people in the country, making his fortune in part from exporting bird poo from Chile and earning the nickname the 'Nitrate King' (which is admittedly better than 'the King of Shit'.) He only had six mortal years to enjoy his south London Xanadu, but his vision lives on in these stunning indoor gardens, which, fittingly, show what you can grow in this country with a greenhouse and some decent fertiliser.
On my lunchtime visit, the Winter Garden was empty, which might've had something to do with the fact it was the middle of the day on the hottest day of the year, and only I was stupid enough to venture inside. It did, however, mean I had the place to myself.
With Andrea Bocelli lilting out Con te partirò on Classic FM*, and a Canary Island date palm stretching up to the ceiling, as if about to break through the glass in its bid to reach the sun, it's an immediately transformative experience. Indian Poke thrust out of the borders like blackcurrant ice lollies, while blushing natal lilies punctuate the aspidistra elatior. A miniature desert bristles with Silvestri's chamaecereus and Parry's agave; on a day when the temperature's breached the thirties, it's easy enough to imagine you've wandered into the Chihuahuan Desert. (If it sounds like I know anything about plants, that because I've just used Pl@ntNet).
One of the two 'galleries' beneath the smaller domes is open too — revealing (and revealing is the word here) a koi carp pond overseen by a reclining nude. You can do some non-nude reclining/sitting of your own; a number of benches in the Winter Garden invite you to perch; it'd make a wonderful place to while away half an hour flicking through the paper or listening to a podcast — especially with rain lashing against the glass. And to think
Historic England described this place as an example of late Victorian vulgarity.
It's a tad reductive to compare Avery Park Hill to Kew; the latter, after all, boasts a number of glasshouses, and should be on anyone's London to-do list. But if you appreciate a good glasshouse, you will still want to see Eltham's, which is apparently, the second-largest winter gardens after Kew — and doesn't cost a penny to visit. There are far fewer tourists too, often none at all.
By the way, if Avery Hill Park feels a schlep, you can easily make a day of it in and around Eltham; nearby Oxleas Wood has beautifully bosky walks and neighbouring Severndroog Castle, while Eltham itself has the Tudor/art deco Eltham Palace, as well as the Bob Hope Theatre, Eltham Jazz Club and, for the craft beer cognoscenti, the Rusty Bucket pub.
Avery Park Hill Winter Gardens, open daily 10am-4pm but closed for lunch 1pm-2pm, free
*Opera singers may vary on your visit.
