Birmingham Botanical Gardens secure £9m grant National Lottery Heritage Fund
Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) has been awarded £9.075m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards its major restoration - Growing Our Green Heritage to preserve a nationally significant historic botanic garden and save Birmingham’s priceless heritage for future generations.
Over the next 4.5 years, the funding will help the landmark project to restore the Gardens’ historic Grade II* listed glasshouses, enhance visitor infrastructure and amenities, improve sustainability and expand public access to education, horticulture, heritage and nature in this unique green space.
It will also increase public understanding of the importance of plant biodiversity to life on Earth and share the importance of plants to people, our places and the planet.
The funding will ensure that urgently needed repairs and restorations are carried out to secure the future of this treasured historic site.
Without intervention, the Victorian glasshouses, identified as at risk by Historic England, would have faced closure within 2 years.
They will now be carefully restored to the original designs, providing the perfect conditions to protect and grow BBG’s globally significant Living Collection of plants.
As one of just over 100 internationally ‘accredited’ botanic gardens in the world, BBG cares for 30,000 plants of unique scientific and heritage significance, some rare and critically endangered.
Funds needed for the full restoration is now 90 per cent in place, and BBG is appealing to the public to help close the gap.
Sue Beardsmore, chair of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, said: “Our uniquely biodiverse natural environment is one of the UK’s most significant historic botanic gardens and part of Birmingham and the West Midlands’, richly diverse cultural history and way of life.
“This safe, peaceful space is part of the green heart of Birmingham and a hugely treasured place to the city, the West Midlands region and its communities.
“With The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s grant, together with generous pledges of support (£8m) from The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Julia Rausing Trust, The Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust and others, we can now preserve this historic estate, nursery and iconic glasshouses for future generations.
“We are immensely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for this unique opportunity to restore an important part of Birmingham’s heritage, champion biodiversity and the environment, and reconnect people with nature. As we approach our Bicentenary, we can now ensure that BBG, the unique Living Collection and tangible and intangible heritage of this ‘miracle green space’ can be researched, shared and enjoyed by everyone for the next 200 years.”
As part of the wider project, the Gardens teams are reviewing a timely and pertinent question - ‘What is the role of a 21st Century Botanic Garden in a super diverse and youthful city, within the global contexts of the Climate Emergency and severe biodiversity loss?
It is anticipated that through project collaborations with communities, visitors, partners and volunteers some answers to this challenge will arise.
The project will also future-proof BBG’s role in plant conservation and environmental education, revising its founding scientific purpose through deeper collaboration with strategic Higher Education partners, including the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University.
It will also safeguard a unique institution and create a place of horticultural excellence, research and learning in an outstanding biodiverse natural environment for all in Birmingham and beyond.
Pictured: Visualisation of the new Courtyard at BBG housing the historic chimney
