Watch our May 2025 update
With the protective wrap removed and the scaffolding dismantled, Glasshouse Supervisor Fiona Inches finally has the chance to explore the restored former Tropical Palm House and see how work is progressing on the Temperate House.
Watch the short film below to learn more about the crucial renovation work and the next steps before the Palm Houses reopen.
| Time | Description |
| [Fiona Inches, Glasshouse Manager] We're here outside what was our tropical palm house that is busy undergoing a renovation. It's really, really exciting to see that we can see the house again. | |
| The scaffolding's come down, the wrapping's come off, and particularly on such a beautiful day like today, and we can see what work has been undertaken over the last two and a half years. | |
| People will really notice a difference when you come and visit. There's a partition that no longer sits between the two parts of the palm houses, so that's gone, which means you can see the whole structure as it was intended originally. The pillars are now all white, which they never were before, and there'll be seating as well just to sort of allow people to enjoy the space. | |
| We're close to a completion of the renovation work. What you see behind us, we've got all the glass in the roof. We're busy putting in the heating ducts. We're building up the retaining wall around the outside of the structure, and then we're gonna put in the new glass in these areas. Then on the other glass house, we're still working our way with the scaffolding coming down. Glass is still going into the new refurbished glazing bars, and then they'll tackle the ground work with the new heating ducts. | |
| The horticulture team's next steps basically are replanting. And we're thinking about that now. All of the pain and the not being able to get in will be so worthwhile just to see the younger plants going in, seeing them grow and mature. It won't be an instant garden. We are going to allow the plant space to breathe and grow. So it'll be really interesting to see how the light and the shadow change in the area as these plants grow up, and as the understory stretches out, and fills the area. It's really gonna be an exciting time for us, and yeah, we're really looking forward to it. |
The restoration of the Palm Houses is an ambitious but truly vital undertaking and every gift we receive will be invaluable in enabling us to accomplish this project.
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