Edinburgh's historic Palm Houses reopen after a £23.5m restoration replaced 5,750 panes of glass

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has officially reopened its two historic Palm Houses after a complex five-year restoration project costing £23.5 million. The work included replacing every single pane of glass in both buildings. The reopening is a major milestone in the garden's 356-year history. It also marks the completion of an important stage in the wider £58 million Edinburgh Biomes development programme. The two glasshouses include the original Octagonal Palm House, built in 1834, and its Victorian neighbour, built in 1858. The Victorian building is recognised as the tallest traditional stone-built Palm House in the world.Extensive architectural and structural repairsTo complete the major repairs, specialists carefully removed and replaced all 5,750 panes of glass across the two buildings. The replacement panes were made using custom templates designed to withstand today's more extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. Along with replacing the glass, contractors repaired 600 square metres of the original Georgian and Victorian iron structures. Restoration teams also completed 500 square metres of careful sandstone repairs. Damaged stonework was replaced with new ...