Went for a dander around Botanic Gardens in Belfast in the fine weather we have been getting. These are pics of the famous Palm House.

The Palm House building at Belfast Botanic Gardens was designed by Charles Lanyon, who also designed the main building at Queen’s University, The Crumlin Road Jail and Courhouse and Castle Leslie in Glaslough Co Monaghan The foundation stone was laid in 1839 and the two wings were completed in 1840 by leading ironmaster Richard Turner. Turner’s Belfast’s Palm House predates the glasshouses at Kew Gardens in Engaland and the Irish National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin Dublin which were also built by him. The dome was added in 1852.

The Palm House consists of two wings, the cool wing and the tropical wing which contains the dome. Lanyon altered his original plans to increase the height of the dome, allowing for much taller plants. In the past these have included an 11 metre tall Globe Spear Lily. The lily, which is native to Australia, finally bloomed in March 2005 after a 23 year wait. The Palm House also features a 400 year old plant called Xanthorrhoea.