Following the closure of The Fernery and restoration of the rockwork by Alan Bishop & Associates over the past two weeks, (see earlier report on this website) the FODF and the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) have been very happy to sign off the work, and the Fernery has been re-opened to the general public.

Using the same proprietary techniques employed by James Pulham II in 1859/60 we can all now enjoy the amazing results of Alan Bishop’s restoration of the rockwork which has almost certainly not been touched since being built in situ some 160 years ago, apart from the replacement of some fallen rocks in 2017 during the early stages of the volunteer’s current restoration project.

The photos below give an idea of the state of the rockwork in the grotto/cave before and after restoration. But selective rockwork all around the site has been restored/repaired.