When built in 1967 the 128 metre long main glasshouse range was regarded as the greatest innovation in glasshouse design in a century.
The then Curator of the Garden, Dr. E.E. Kemp insisted that there be no internal supporting structures impeding the growth of plants, thus allowing the maximum space and light inside.
Allan Pendreigh and GAH Pearce, architect with the Ministry of Public Works, achieved this using steel cables to suspend the main structure from a tetrahedral lattice framework.
Inside there are two levels with five climatic zones. They were filled with topsoil from the construction site of the Forth Road Bridge, being built at the same time.
One of the most popular plants is the Victoria amazonica (giant water lily), which grows in the ‘Plants & People’ house; its first flower bloomed in time for the official opening of the glasshouses by the late Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
Stories from the Biomes: A Change in the Weather
Every day for the last thirty years, rain or shine, Senior Horticulturist Bruce Robertson has climbed up on to the roof of the Temperate Palm House to change the Campbell-Stokes recorder's sunshine card. As the restoration on the Victorian Palm Houses begins, the recorder's solid crystal ball is stored away for safe keeping.
Garden Buildings: Introduction
Building for Nature Buildings have been important to gardens for thousands of years – from the humble wooden shed for potting to magnificent glass palaces in which to...
Inverleith House
Inverleith House was designed by David Henderson in 1773 and built the following year. It stood at the heart of Sir James Rocheid’s estate, which comprised not only...
Caledonian Hall
Built by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society when this part of the Garden was under their care, the Caledonian Hall is a beautiful example of a Victorian exhibition...
East Gate Lodge
William Henry Playfair was responsible for some of Edinburgh’s grandest buildings, including the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland, but the East Gate Lodge is...
The Herbarium
Officially opened by HM The Queen in 1964, the Herbarium and Library was built to house the collection of three million preserved plant specimens held by the Royal...
The Linnaeus Monument
This handsome monument honours the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, who popularised a system of sexual classification of plants in the 18th century. It originally stood in the previous...
Main Glasshouse Range
When built in 1967 the 128 metre long main glasshouse range was regarded as the greatest innovation in glasshouse design in a century. The then Curator of the...
The Temperate Palm House
Completed in 1858, the Temperate Palm House is the tallest traditional Palm House in Britain, with a height of 21.95 metres. Designed by Robert Matheson, the glasshouse cost...
The Botanic Cottage
Designed by two of the most renowned’ architects of the 18th century – John Adam (brother of Robert) and James Craig (designer of Edinburgh’s New Town plan) –...