Sefton Palm House, Liverpool

Shepley Engineers, in a joint venture with VHE Construction, completed the faithful restoration of this Victorian glass house structure at Sefton Park in Liverpool. Gifted to the City of Liverpool by millionaire Henry Yates Thomson in 1896, the Palm House had been largely neglected, leading to water ingress and severe corrosion of the majority of building parts.

The project involved the dismantling of over 80 per cent of the structure and the tagging of each component prior to transportation to VHE's Barnsley workshops for re-painting and restoration or replacement. The parts were then returned to Sefton Park for re-construction and glazing.

The scheme also required the construction of full-time staff accommodation facilities, an education and display area, and a kitchen and catering facilities. In order to ensure that the Palm House was restored as closely to its original appearance as possible, these new facilities were constructed underground, along with a service tunnel and lift shaft.