Domain Wintergardens

Image Credit: Wintergarden Auckland Domain 1920s 'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-7114'

Two large glass houses and a fernery make up the Winter Gardens; a fine example of gardens popular in the early twentieth century originally inspired by Paxton's design for the Crystal Palace built for the 1851 Exhbition in Hyde Park, London. The structures were designed by Gummer and Ford and built between 1916 and 1930. They have recently been sympathetically restored.

Here visitors can catch any sun available and seek some shelter from prevailing winds. It is also fully paved so as to be firm underfoot and features ponds which attract the birdlife. These thoughtful landscaping features have inspired many other designs both small and large.