Glasgow Botanic Gardens & Kibble Palace

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens are a large public park with numerous greenhouses, of which Kibble Palace is the most worth seeing. The gardens were built in 1817 and operated by the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow, originally for the work of the University of Glasgow. The famous botanist William Hooker was Regius Professor of the Botanical Gardens in Glasgow and contributed to its development before moving to London to become director at Kew Gardens. Originally the gardens were used for concerts and other events. In 1891, the gardens were incorporated into the parks and gardens of the city of Glasgow. The Kibble Palace is a glass and cast-iron glasshouse built in the 19th century covering an area of 2137 m². Originally designed by John Kibble for his home in Coulport in the 1860s; Walter Macfarlane created the items that were finally assembled at the present location after the transport of Boyd Paisley in 1873.
The building is a composite of steel, cast iron and glass. Originally it was used as an exhibition venue and for concerts, since the 1880s then as a greenhouse for plants. Benjamin Disraeli and William Ewart Gladstone were both re-elected as directors of the University of Glasgow in this building. Later, the building was then used only for the plant breeding. Mainly there grow Australian tree ferns, some of which are older than 120 years.