Fernery and Display Houses

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History of the Fernery and Display Houses

EARLY DAYS AT THE FERNERY AND DISPLAY HOUSES

History

The proposal to construct the Fernery was first discussed in 1918 as a means to preserve a collection of native ferns.

Mrs Lovell from Hawera designed the Fernery based on her own fernery that featured, the now iconic, tunnels dug through the hillside.

Work started in June 1926 with the steep hillside being dug by hand. The soil was used to form the small lakes in Stanton Dell and The Fred Parker Lawn.

Planting started in July 1927 with houses one, two and three being planted almost entirely with over 1000 native ferns, many of which were donated by Duncan and Davies, a well known New Plymouth Nursery.

Mayor Mr H.V.S. Griffiths opened the Fernery in January 1928.

The Begonia house was built from salvaged materials in 1939.

The mid sixties saw the entrance fee to the Fernery and Display houses abolished.

A local nurseryman Fred Parker donated a large collection of Cymbidium orchids and house two was converted to display the collection.

The old Begonia House was replaced in 1967 with a new steel structure that was named the Kibby Begonia house, named after funders Mr and Mrs George Kibby.

1998 saw a major rebuild of the rood structures over houses two and three amalgamating them and the area between them into one structure. An extension to the north created a viewing platform from houses two and three and another entrance to the Kibby House.

The Kibby House was extended in 2001.

The top prop was rebuilt to twice its original size to re-house a large collection of orchids.

2005 saw an irrigation system installed on the tops of the fern banks in houses one, two and three and outside the nursery.

The Horton Walk entry was opened to the public in 2006.

An authentic Balinese pavilion was purchased from a donation and installed in the tropical area in the Kibby House.

And most recently a significant Disa Orchid collection was donated by Elaine Schriber in 2009.

See our Flickr page for more historic photos of the Fernery and Display Houses.

Related links

• How to find the Fernery
• Fernery and Display House Layout 
• Fernery displays and collections
• This month at the Fernery
• The people behind the plants
• Pukekura Park

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