World-famous UK tourist attraction to close for five years to undergo huge £50million upgrade
SCALING UP World-famous UK tourist attraction to close for five years to undergo huge £50million upgrade
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A WORLD-FAMOUS tourist attraction is set to close for five years as it undergoes a huge revamp.
The refurbishment is set to cost an eye-watering £50 million and will start in 2027.
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The Palm House was refurbished once before in the 1980s
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It was the first glasshouse of its kind when it was built in 1848
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The world-famous Palm House, which sits at the centre of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, will be completely refurbished according to the BBC.
Made almost entirely of glass, Palm House creates humid jungle like conditions for plants to thrive.
The damp heat has taken a toll on the building since it opened in 1848 and the refurbishment is desperately needed.
Planning permission for the mammoth project has been submitted and some of the tropical rainforest plants have reportedly already been relocated.
Some of the plants in the Palm House are older than the building itself and will be a real challenge to move.
Specialists will use scaffolding, supports and braces to support the larger and older plants as they are moved.
The temporary rehoming of smaller specimens has already begun with little plants being taken to a temporary greenhouse.
The Palm House was the first glass house of its scale to be constructed when it was built.
It was previously renovated in the 1980s.
Pieces of iron, forming the bones of the structure, are beginning to rust in the humid temperatures.
The Sun visits the Kew Gardens Orchid Festival inspired by Madagascar
The £50 million revamp will see the structure stripped back to bare metal, repaired and repainted.
Thousands of single panes of glass are due to be replaced with a search for the best kind of glass to use underway.
The temperature of Palm House must be maintained at a cosy 21c with maximum insulation required from the glass panes used.
Visitors to Kew Gardens will have to make do without the Palm House while the repairs are underway.
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Iron structures inside have degraded in the humid climate
Credit: Getty
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Some of the larger plants will require specialist teams and equipment to move them
Credit: Getty
Kew Gardens was recently voted in a study of 2,000 adults as a favourite UK attraction.
Adults identified their "happy places" with Kew Gardens coming out on top of the list.
Other popular attractions included the Eden Project, Snowdonia National Park and the Natural History Museum.
The refurbishment of the huge Palm House will be ensuring the structure can last as long as possible before more work is required.
Further work at Kew Gardens will see the Water Lily House receive a makeover.
Both the Palm House and the Water Lily House will remain open to the public for the next two years.
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