- Glasgow Botanic Gardens
Set in the West End of
Glasgow ,Scotland , the Glasgow Botanic Gardens is a large public park with severalglasshouse s, the most notable of which is the Kibble Palace. The gardens were created in 1817, and run by the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow (founded byThomas Hopkirk ofDalbeth ), and were intended to supply theUniversity of Glasgow . William Hooker wasregius professor of botany at Glasgow University, and contributed to the development of the Botanic Gardens before his appointment to the directorship of Kew Gardens in Londonref|ref1. The gardens were originally used for concerts and other events, and in 1891 the gardens were incorporated in to the Parks and Gardens of theCity of Glasgow .The site was once served by a railway line, and Botanic Gardens Railway Station remains today in a derelict state as a remarkable example of a disused station.
Kibble Palace
Kibble Palace is a 19th century
cast iron framed glasshouse, covering 2137 m.2 Originally designed byJohn Kibble for his home atCoulport onLoch Long in the 1860s, the components were cast byWalter Macfarlane at hisSaracen Foundry inPossilpark . Eventually brought up theRiver Clyde by barge to the Botanic Gardens, it was fully erected at its current location in 1873 by Boyd ofPaisley . [citeweb|url=http://www.scottishironwork.org/news.htm|title=Scottish Ironworks - News|publisher=Scottish Ironworks|date=Summer 2005|accessdate=2008-08-26]The building structure is of curved
wrought iron and glass supported bycast iron beams resting on ornate columns, surmounted on masonry foundations. It was initially used as an exhibition and concert venue, before being used for growing plants from the 1880s.Benjamin Disraeli andWilliam Ewart Gladstone were both installed asrector s of theUniversity of Glasgow in the palace, in 1873 and 1879 respectively - its last use as a public events venue, before becoming wholly used for the cultivation oftemperate plants. The main plant group is the collection ofAustralia ntree fern s, some of which have lived here for 120 years.In 2004 a £7 million restoration programme was initiated to repair corrosion of the ironwork. The restoration involved the complete dismantling of the Palace, and the removal of the parts to
Shafton ,South Yorkshire for specialised repair and conservation. The plant collection was removed completely for the first time ever and the ironwork was rebuilt over a rearranged floorplan, giving the Palace a prolonged life. It re-opened to the public in November 2006.Notes
* Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911
External links
*gbmapping|NS568675
* [http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Parks_gardens/botanicgardens.htm Botanic Gardens] : Information from Glasgow City Council
* [http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Parks_gardens/KibblePalaceRestoration.htm Kibble Palace] : Information from Glasgow City Council
* [http://www.inglasgow.com/inglaig/gallery.asp?categoryid=266 Photographs of the Kibble's Restoration]
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