Arundel Castle installs new tropical glasshouse

It’s commonplace to spot pineapples, papayas and guavas down the aisles of most English supermarkets, but a new greenhouse in Arundel Castle’s gardens will provide visitors with the rare treat of seeing exotic fruits ripening on the vine.
Pineapple ripening in Arundel Castle's tropica lglasshouse SUS-190213-114747001Pineapple ripening in Arundel Castle's tropica lglasshouse SUS-190213-114747001
Pineapple ripening in Arundel Castle's tropica lglasshouse SUS-190213-114747001

Designed as a perfect replica of an original Victorian ‘Thomas G. Messenger’ wooden pineapple house, the new aluminium tropical glasshouse was constructed by Alitex, a family-run greenhouse and conservatory company.

Chris Sawyer, senior design specialist at Alitex, commented: “It was delightful to be involved with this special replication project.

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“We’re proud to have improved this traditional Victorian glasshouse design with modern, built-to-last materials. The aluminium structure texturally mimics a natural wood grain to beautifully match the original Victorian Vine House, which remains only a few feet away.”

Arundel Castle's new tropical glasshouse SUS-190213-114758001Arundel Castle's new tropical glasshouse SUS-190213-114758001
Arundel Castle's new tropical glasshouse SUS-190213-114758001

A huge variety of tropical plants will be on display in the glasshouse throughout Arundel Castle’s open season, including pineapple plants, pawpaw trees, passion fruit plants, miniature banana trees, coffee plants, anthuriums, hibiscuses and even a baobab tree.

Martin Duncan, head gardener at Arundel Castle said: “It’s wonderful to have the new tropical glasshouse fully up and running for our visitors. It looks absolutely brilliant, bursting with an abundance of tropical fruit and flowers, and will be an unmissable attraction within the castle’s gardens.”

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The fully-automated temperature and humidity controls make the Tropical Glasshouse the perfect haven for early spring propagation, not to mention the ideal place for the garden’s beloved moggies, Tilly and Pippin, to curl up for a cat nap.

Arundel Castle and gardens will be open from Tuesday April 2 to Sunday November 3 - Tuesdays to Sundays inclusive, May Bank Holiday Mondays and Mondays in August.

For more information, please visit www.arundelcastle.org