Lottery money in bloom: the parks and gardens restored with National Lottery grants

On Friday 2 October 2026, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh reopened its restored Palm Houses to visitors. They join a long list of UK glasshouses, lakes and Victorian parks revived with money raised by National Lottery players.

That money reaches parks through independent funders such as The National Lottery Heritage Fund. As of October 2026, it has awarded over £9.9 billion of National Lottery and other funding to more than 54,000 UK projects since 1994. Here are seven parks and gardens it has helped, with a visiting tip for each.

Parks for People and the money behind it

Parks for People was a programme run by The National Lottery Heritage Fund with The National Lottery Community Fund. It launched in 2006 to revive historic parks and cemeteries, and the Community Fund's share went to projects in England only.

The Heritage Fund's evaluation of the programme recorded £254 million awarded to 135 UK projects by December 2013, the programme total it still quotes. Its 2021 report adds that, counting earlier schemes, over £900 million of National Lottery funding has gone to more than 900 UK public parks since 1996. Five grants below predate Parks for People, awarded between 1997 and 2000, when the Fund was still the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Every grant here came from money raised by National Lottery players. The draws behind that money are explained game by game at fortunegames.com, a UK online casino whose lottery guides cover the weekly draw schedule and the odds for Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball and Set For Life. Those odds are long, at 1 in 139,838,160 for a EuroMillions jackpot, so a ticket is no way to pay for anything.

Merseyside: a pioneering park and a palm house

Birkenhead Park on the Wirral, designed by Joseph Paxton, opened in 1847 as the world's first publicly funded park and influenced New York's Central Park. A £7,576,000 grant in 2000 helped restore its Grand Entrance Lodge, lakes, cricket pavilions, landscaping and bridges. A further £177,700 from the Heritage Fund, awarded in December 2025 and announced in April 2026, is funding a long-term plan as the park bids for UNESCO World Heritage status. Tip: the visitor centre, which has a café, opens 9am to 4.30pm daily.

In Liverpool, Sefton Park Palm House opened in 1896. A £2,442,000 grant in 1998 backed a £3.5 million project that took it apart piece by piece, restored and rebuilt it, and reopened it in 2001. Tip: entry is free, and it opens Sunday to Thursday. For plants to take home, see the site's round-up of garden centres in Liverpool.

Yorkshire and the North East

Sheffield Botanical Gardens received £5,063,800 in 1997. The money helped restore the Grade II* listed glass pavilions, the Gatehouse, Curator's House and South Lodge, and replant the Main Borders. The pavilions reopened in 2003. Tip: from the last Sunday in October, they close at 3.30pm.

In Bradford, Lister Park received £3,220,500 the same year to restore statues, buildings, the formal garden and the bandstand, replace the boathouse and open the lake to leisure boating. Tip: leave time for Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, inside the park.

Saltwell Park in Gateshead received £6,949,000 in 1998. From 2000 to 2005 it was returned to its late-1800s look, with 30,000 new trees and shrubs, 100 Victorian-style seats, a renovated Saltwell Towers and a maze rebuilt from 1,200 trees. It was named Britain's Best Park in 2005. Tip: entry and parking are free.

Kew and Edinburgh: two great glasshouses

Kew's Temperate House, opened in 1863, is the world's largest surviving Victorian glasshouse. After £890,000 of development funding in 2011, the Heritage Lottery Fund gave a further £14.7 million in March 2013 towards a £41 million restoration, which removed 69,000 individual elements for cleaning, repair or replacement. It reopened in May 2018. Tip: Lion Gate is the nearest entrance.

In 2022 the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was awarded £4 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore its two A-listed Victorian Palm Houses and a range of 1960s glasshouses. Specialists repaired the historic ironwork and replaced thousands of panes of glass, and the octagonal house of 1834 and the dome completed in 1858 are now one continuous space. Tip: Palm House tickets are timed, with limited daily slots, so book ahead. For ideas at home, try the site's beginner's guide to greenhouse gardening.

At a glance

Years show when each grant was awarded, and details are as of October 2026. Hours change with the seasons, so check each garden's website before you travel.

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