The Palm House, Bicton Park

[puddleshark]

The Palm House at Bicton Park, constructed c.1825, which means that it actually predates the famous Palm House at Kew Gardens, though it is not as big.

Remarkably for such a bulbous building, the Palm House is glazed entirely with flat glass. The small size of the 18,000 overlapping panes enables them to fit smoothly between the curved, thin iron bars that form the roof’s skeleton. The structure is strengthened by slender cast-iron columns in the side wings, but the larger central dome is self-supporting. There are no horizontal glazing bars, and the roof would become unstable without the glass.

The whole building was extensively renovated in 1985. Modern glass has replaced the original panes, which were hand-moulded to be thicker at the edges than in the middle so that water would run away from the ironwork. Ventilation is by rope-operated louvres set high up in the rear brick wall. Underfloor heating remains in operation today with large hot-water pipes acting as a huge radiator.
https://www.bictongardens.co.uk/palm-house-glasshouses/

Comments

[kaishin108]

How lovely, all those palms!

I glanced at that name and thought Bitcoin Park, lol.

[puddleshark]

Heh! My fingers kept wanting to type that...

The palms are lovely, but a little overshadowed by the spectacular architecture.

[kaishin108]

Oh yes the architecture!

[nikonf3]

I love how you used black&white to show off the structure. I grew up in a palm tree place where all this was on the outside.

[puddleshark]

Thanks!

It's kind of a badge of honour for UK seaside towns to have palm trees growing along the sea front, the town declaring "Look! We have a climate just like California!" (but it is a lie).

[nikonf3]

California doesn't have that many. I grew up in a sub-tropical climate (south Florida) and we had lots of palm trees. Mostly non-native.

[kotturinn]

Gosh!

[puddleshark]

It is such a spectacular structure. It must have been one of the marvels of the world when it was first built back in 1825.

[heleninwales]

What a splendid structure! I'm glad it's survived and is still in use.

[puddleshark]

Isn't it impressive? Hard to believe that something built of cast iron and glass could survive so many years. Another of those wonders of 19th century structural engineering.

[mallorys_camera]

I love all those old glass conservatories.

[puddleshark]

Same here.

Whenever I visit gardens, I always make a beeline for the conservatories and pelargonium houses... 😊

Lovely structure

[jesse_the_k]

artfully captured.

(And my mind immediately goes to, how often do they have to renew the putty?)

Re: Lovely structure

[puddleshark]

Thank you!

LOL. I was so impressed by the 18,000 panes of glass that I forgot there must also be putty... A lot of putty. 😊