The Palm House

There is an idea that human development is measure on our ability to control and tame nature. It actually rarely works out, but the cultivation of this idea during the industrial revolution led to something interesting innovations. Located in the Botanical Garden of Belfast, the Palm House is one of the more artistic attempts to grow tropical plants and flowers. Built in 1839-40, a time in which the city was growing exponentially because of growing factories, the house is one of the first examples of curved glass, and predates Kew Gardens in London. Later two wings were added on to accommodate more specimens.

The plants, buildings and park served as a status symbol for the new and increasingly important city in the British Empire. The Victorian architecture provided a sense of grandeur while at the same time a green space to a population that was likely to work in dirty, polluted factories. Situated adjacent to Queens University, it continues to be a place where the people of Belfast gather, visit and relax.