The Royal Botanic Gardens: No 1 Museum
The No 1 Museum was designed by Decimus Burton in 1857 to host a Museum of Economic Botany, demonstrating the importance of plants to mankind.
In the late Twentieth Century, the museum building had become badly dilapidated after its removal from use as a museum due to inadequate fire escape and protection. A National Lottery Heritage Fund application was successfully made and Dannatt, Johnson Architects were appointed to repair the building and adapt it so that it would meet the current health and safety standards. The brief required the insertion of substantial new elements into the building as well as the careful repair and restoration of its original fabric and some of the original mahogany display cases.
Filed to: Arts and Museums, Heritage, Public and Community
“The interventions are well-mannered and confident, and do not mimic the earlier language of the building. Instead, modern materials and methods successfully balance faithful restoration with contemporary design.”
- Civic Trust
