The Garden’s heritage Palm Houses are outstanding examples of late Georgian and Victorian engineering and part of Scotland’s horticultural heritage. The purpose of these majestic buildings? To protect and showcase some of the organisation’s precious ‘Living Collection’ of plants, the core of our leading science and conservation horticulture programmes and an internationally renowned resource for researchers. Many of the species we work with are endangered in their native habitats, so the quality of care they receive is paramount.
The Palm Houses
Constructed in 1834, the octagonal Tropical Palm House was soon considered too small, and it was joined by a new building in 1856. Initially used as one space, the two would eventually be divided to create a separate house for temperate plants.
However, almost 200 years of Scotland’s weather had taken their toll; eroding the fabric and structure of the buildings, causing cast iron to corrode, stonework to crumble and glass to crack, exposing temperate and tropical plants to the risk of damage from rain and frost.
The race to save the Palm Houses for the nation was on, and preparations to restore the buildings began in 2021, with the removal of 800 plants to other glasshouses in the Garden. Removing large palms from the ground and keeping them healthy was no easy task. Using a combination of hand tools, machinery and a wealth of expertise in plant conservation, the Garden’s horticulturists carefully manoeuvred each specimen out of the Palm Houses’ narrow doorways, before transporting them to their new temporary homes.
Restoration work begins
Contractors arrived in 2022, and the task facing these conservation teams was immense, with almost 6,000 panes of glass set to be replaced and over six hundred square metres of ironwork to be restored – including pillars, walkways, spiral staircases and window frames.
Among the architectural aspects to be repaired were the 19 iconic arched windows which grace the front and sides of the Temperate Palm House and are among the building’s most distinctive features. The mission facing the team was to restore, rather than replace, the original corroded window frames, and finally, just before Christmas 2024, the last renovated arched window was successfully reinstalled.
Where we are now – restoration progress
This year saw the teams move into the final stages of the restoration work, and the scaffolding, which had filled the inside of both structures, began to be dismantled, level by level.
The Palm Houses will then return to the care of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which will embark on the final stages of the transformation, including landscaping and the creation of new pathways before, at last, the new unified space becomes a fitting home to an array of temperate plants, ready to welcome back visiting members of the public.
The new plant layout
The new planting plan, inspired by the ‘Victorian fever’ for palms and ferns, will include the black tree fern (Cyathea medullaris). This striking and ornamental plant, native to New Zealand and the southwest Pacific, will have a prominent place in the new scheme, along with a young sabal palm, progeny of the Sabal mexicana that once graced the centre of the older Palm House. Other show specimens will include a large stone gate palm (Trachycarpus princeps). At over eight metres tall, this native of Yunnan in southwest China, was the largest plant to be removed from the Palm Houses. We believe it to be the tallest palm in cultivation outside of China. Other species in the Palm Houses will include plant families key to the Garden’s core research, including members of the massive – and incredibly diverse – Begonia family.
Making our contribution to science and battling plant extinction
At a time when 40% of plant species are at risk of extinction, the restoration of the Palm Houses will help our world-leading scientific institute protect just some of the tens of thousands of species housed across our four botanic gardens – the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Benmore in Argyll, Logan in Dumfries and Galloway, and Dawyck in the Scottish Borders. By providing a refuge to plants from across the world, scientists and horticulturists will continue to work together, with international partners, to help find ways to mitigate the impact of the biodiversity loss and the climate emergency. Crucially, the space, and the way in which we interoperate the species in it, can also inspire people of all ages – be they local communities or visitors from around the world – to consider the state of our fragile planet. Perhaps it will even prompt them to make changes that will benefit the environment.
Generous contributions and planned reopening
The Palm Houses are being restored thanks to support from all levels, including the Scottish Government, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Julia Rausing Trust, The Wolfson Foundation, Historic Environment Scotland and the Garfield West Foundation, as well as many individuals.
The Palm Houses will reopen to the public in 2026.
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