THE PALM HOUSE 
131 
There is no cause to wonder, then, at the popular interest in this 
house. 
As far back as the reign of George III., long before Kew became 
a public institution, the erection of a large house for palms had 
been contemplated. In 1834, again, at the instance of 
the* Palm William IV., the matter got so far as the preparation of 
House a P^ an f° r a P a ^ m house by Sir Jeffrey Wyatville. Nothing 
further, however, was done until after the gardens were 
transferred to the people by Queen Victoria. Then one of the first 
objects to which Sir William Hooker devoted his energy was the 
acquisition for the gardens of a palm house worthy of the nation. 
Through the influence of powerful friends of Kew he succeeded. 
The design for the building was made by Mr. Decimus Burton, 
and its erection was commenced in 1844. Completed in 1848, it is, 
with the exception of the Aroid House (No. 1), the 
oldest plant-house in Kew. Glass-houses are not often 
Dimensions things °f beauty ; their external attractiveness is, in 
fact, usually in inverse ratio to their suitability for 
growing plants. The Palm House at Kew, even now, is one of the 
very finest plant-houses in the world. Its graceful lines and admir- 
able proportions make it as pleasing to the eye as it is possible for a 
structure of glass and iron to be. It is the central point of Kew, 
the spot upon which all the main routes converge. Its total length 
is 362 feet ; the transept is 100 feet wide and 66 feet high ; and the 
wings are each 50 feet wide and 30 feet high. 
In regard to the admission of fight, now recognised as one of 
the most important factors in greenhouse construction, this house 
must have marked a great advance on the heavy, often 
dark, structures of its time. Yet if it were possible to 
substitute wider panes of glass, it would be an im- 
provement, as would also be the substitution of clear glass for the 
green. Internally, too, the arrangements could no doubt be con- 
siderably improved. Were it to be erected to-day more accom- 
modation would be provided for growing the plants in beds of soil 
instead of in tubs and pots. When first built, no provision at all was 
made for this method of cultivation, but, as occasion has served, beds 
have been constructed in which the roots of strong-growing palms, 
etc., can have free play. The house is heated by six horizontal 
boilers situated in two large stokeholds under the central part. 
Light and 
Heating. 
