Alexandra Park Greenhouse

Hastings' Alexandra Park, laid out by Robert Marnock in 1878-1882 according to Parks & Gardens UK and opened on 26 June 1882 by the Prince and Princess of Wales, had a maintenance yard in its northern half by 1899. According to the register entry for parks and gardens, it was extended by 1938 with a range of glasshouses, only one of which, in poor condition, still stood in 1997. The charity that runs the present greenhouse writes that the council bought it in 1934 from Richardson's of Darlington for GBP 4,500, as "the finest hothouse in town", steam-heated and meant to supply the seafront flower beds.

During the Second World War it grew vegetables and tomatoes for the Dig for Victory campaign. In 1973 the statue of Prince Albert, rescued from the Albert Memorial Clock Tower, was placed inside. In the 1970s the site was part of Pets Corner, a small zoo, while rubber trees and daturas thrived there. In the late 1980s the greenhouse closed, its glass was removed and the building deteriorated until 2013.

That year volunteers and a park ranger entered the derelict greenhouse, which led to the Alexandra Park Greenhouse Group. Donations of over GBP 25,000 made it temporarily watertight. The group became a charity and obtained a 25-year lease from the council in 2018. From 2020 a private donation and crowdfunding paid for the restoration, which the group dates to 2023.

The group describes a 30-metre teak-and-cast-iron greenhouse of 1934; the building's outline on OpenStreetMap, longer (about 37 metres by 6.5, an indicative measurement), does not match that figure exactly. The original greenhouse was steam-heated: the system is gone, leaving only painted pipes to keep the memory of the place.

The restoration proceeded in stages. The surviving teak was repaired, sanded and stained, the glazing bars were replaced in sapele, and the roof glass was cut with a traditional dovetail detail and replaced with toughened glass. All the ironwork was taken out and restored so that the opening mechanisms work as they did in the 1930s; ceiling brackets and staging were repainted black. The masonry was repointed, the upper ventilation restored and electricity installed. The floor was lifted and repaved in 2023 to give a flat, safe surface. A 2023 press article also mentions a new roof of reinforced glass panels.

The greenhouse is no longer a conservatory on the scale of its origins: the charity runs it as a plant shop where volunteers sell plants they grow on site, hardy perennials, seedlings and cuttings whose stock changes weekly, together with plants donated by residents. Sales fund the upkeep and the educational activities.

In the 1970s the greenhouse held rubber trees and daturas, and the Prince Albert statue was placed inside in 1973.

The greenhouse stands in Alexandra Park, with access from St Helens Road. It is run by volunteers and opens to the public in season, a few half-days a week; the slots given in press articles and on the charity's own site do not coincide exactly, so it is best to check the website before travelling. The charity also holds family days.

The park itself, on the register of historic parks and gardens, has a lake, a rose garden and a bandstand. A visit to the greenhouse combines well with a walk in the park.