Situated in the university area of the city, Belfast’s Botanic Gardens have long been popular with locals and visitors alike.
The gardens have been open to the public since 1895 and form an important part of Belfast’s Victorian heritage. As well as its beautiful gardens, the park is home to the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine.
During the Easter holidays, on a rainy afternoon, I had a chance to wander around the Palm House in Belfast.
It’s one of my absolute favourite places in the city I call home.
The Palm House Belfast
The Palm House is one of the most distinctive buildings in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens.
Construction began in the 1830s, at a time when public interest in horticulture and botany was growing rapidly. The glasshouse was completed in the 1840s and is one of the earliest surviving examples of a curvilinear cast-iron glasshouse.
Its design was created by local ironmaster John McKibben, while the two curved wings were later constructed by the Dublin-based engineer Richard Turner. Turner went on to work on the famous Palm House at Kew Gardens.
The combination of sweeping ironwork and curved glass makes the building quite beautiful, even before you step inside.
The exterior of the Palm House, Belfast
A botanical pick me up
For any lover of plants and flowers, the Palm House is the perfect little botanical pick-me-up.
Inside, you’ll find a wonderful selection of plants, flowers and trees from warmer parts of the world. The result is a vision of green around every bend, with pops of tropical colour appearing amongst the foliage.
And then there is the atmosphere.
The air is warm and humid, flowers add splashes of colour and there is a lovely floral scent as you wander through the glasshouse.
I took my time, wandering around at my leisure, having forgotten just what a lovely place this is to spend an afternoon.
Inside the Palm House
The Palm House is divided into different areas, with plants growing beneath the distinctive curved glass roof.
The central dome gives the building its wonderful sense of height, while the two wings provide a more intimate space for exploring the plants.
And although the Palm House can be busy with visitors, I still managed to enjoy the occasional moment of solitude.
At one point I walked through the door into one of the wings and quietly shut it behind me.
For a few minutes, I had the flowers all to myself.
It was really rather lovely.
Scenes from inside The Palm House, Belfast
A little piece of Victorian Belfast
One of the things I particularly like about the Palm House is that it isn’t simply a place to look at plants.
It gives you a glimpse into Victorian Belfast and the enthusiasm for horticulture and botany that inspired the creation of the city’s Botanic Gardens.
When the Palm House was built, glasshouses were becoming increasingly popular. They allowed people to grow and display plants from much warmer climates and gave the public an opportunity to see exotic species they would never otherwise encounter.
Today, the Palm House still gives you that sense of stepping into another world.
Except that you can do it for free.
Visiting the Palm House Belfast
The Palm House is located within Belfast Botanic Gardens, close to Queen’s University and within easy walking distance of Belfast city centre.
It’s a pleasant walk from the centre of the city, and there are also plenty of buses serving the university area.
The Palm House is free to enter.
Opening arrangements can change, so it’s worth checking the current information from Belfast City Council before making a special journey.
And don’t just visit the Palm House and leave.
The wider Botanic Gardens are lovely to wander around, particularly when the gardens are in bloom. The Tropical Ravine is also nearby, and the surrounding university area has plenty of cafés if you fancy stopping for coffee afterwards.
A rainy-day visit to Belfast
Perhaps one of the best things about the Palm House is that it doesn’t matter particularly much what the weather is doing outside.
On a rainy Belfast afternoon, it’s warm, green and full of colour inside.
You can take your time, wander amongst the plants and forget about the rain for a while.
Even if plants aren’t really your thing, the Palm House is worth visiting for its architecture and its place in Belfast’s history.
For me, though, it’s the combination of the beautiful old glasshouse, the plants and that lovely humid atmosphere that keeps bringing me back.
It’s one of my favourite little corners of Belfast.
Paula
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Beautiful Roses in Belfast’s Lady Dixon Park
Exploring Copenhagen’s Green Spaces
Thanks for a real nostalgic trip. Boyhood pre-War memories of the Botanic Gardens when we spent holidays in the area. Interesting the 1849 date. Paxton used the same techniques for the Great Exhibition building in Hyde Park in 1851 on a much grander scale. Des.
Thanks Des..it was a bit of nostalgia for me too.😊
Lovely place. Visited during a conference in 2006. Nice to see it again.😍
Yes it’s a great wee spot in town 😊
This is such a beautiful place! I’d love to visit 🌼😀