\paperw3360 \margr0\margl0\ATXph16380 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs22 Both the Palm House and the Temperate House were designed by the great Regency architect Decimus Burton. This was t
he \b \cf4 \ATXht10871000 Victorian æage of ironÆ\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 as these structures reveal. For the Palm House, Burton proposed heavy cast iron arches. However, the ironfounder suggested replacing these with a wrought iron ædeck beamÆ of the sort u
sed in ship building to span greater widths of unsupported space. The house has been compared to the upturned hull of a graceful liner ever since.\par
After 130 years of exposure to the elements, the Palm House was in dire need of restoration. This ma
ssive operation began in 1985 and involved clearing the house of plants for the first time in its history. The oldest port plant in the world, Encephalartos altensteinii, was the most difficult to transport, requiring the construction of a special scaff
old support. As the Palm House is the most important surviving nineteenth century glass and iron structure in the world, proper conservation meant replacing like with like. So ductile iron was used for castings, though the main arches were strengthened
with mild steel and stainless steel was used for the ten miles of glazing bars. Many original parts of the building were re-instated in the refurbished house. It was officially re-opened by HRH The Queen Mother in November 1990.\par
