The Palm House at Kew

From the collection of

London’s Screen Archives
London’s Screen Archives is a network of over 50 organisations with a collective vision – to preserve and share London’s history on film. The network is managed by Film London and we work with our partners to digitise, preserve, and offer access to their moving image collections.

The Palm House at Kew


Absorbing official film by the Ministry of Works showing the careful restoration of the corroded 1848 Palm House in Kew Gardens in 1956.

The Palm House in Kew Botanical Gardens was built in 1848 but by the 1950s the iron structure was in poor condition because of bomb damage, humidity and use of insecticides. The building was closed to the public. This film show the careful restoration of the Palm House, with much technical information and attention to detail. Includes excellent shots of the damaged iron structure before restoration, as well as the work in progress and triumphant reopening.

Detailed account of restoration of mid-19th century iron-framed conservatory at Kew Gardens.


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