The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has announced an ambitious £50 million restoration project for its iconic Palm House—a Victorian-era masterpiece that has stood for more than 175 years. The extensive refurbishment will begin in 2027 and is expected to take five years, during which the Palm House will be closed to the public.

Originally completed in 1848, the vast glass and iron structure houses a lush indoor tropical rainforest. However, time, heat, and humidity have taken their toll, with corrosion affecting the building’s intricate ironwork and thousands of panes of glass needing replacement.

The project will involve the relocation of approximately 1,300 tropical plants, many of which are rare and irreplaceable. Among them is a 250-year-old Encephalartos altensteinii—a giant cycad older than the Palm House itself and weighing more than a tonne. Moving it will be one of the project’s most complex tasks, requiring scaffolding, bracing, and careful handling to protect its ancient structure.

Thomas Pickering, Kew’s head of glasshouses, explained the scale of the operation: “Over the next two years, we’ll be preparing by deciding which plants to pot and preserve, which we can propagate, and, unfortunately, which cannot be moved and may need to be felled.”

The restoration isn’t just about preservation—it’s also about modernization. Kew plans to transform the Palm House into a net-zero emissions building by replacing its gas boilers with energy-efficient air and water source heat pumps. Improvements will also be made to glazing and insulation to reduce the structure’s significant energy demands.

“This is one of the most difficult buildings to decarbonize,” said Rachel Purdon, Kew’s head of sustainability. “But with the right approach, we can reduce its carbon footprint dramatically while preserving its historic beauty.”

The iron framework of the Palm House will be stripped back to bare metal, repaired, and repainted. All 16,000 panes of glass will be replaced with improved materials to enhance thermal efficiency, and ongoing testing is being conducted to determine the best glass for insulation without compromising light and visibility.

Adjacent to the Palm House, the Water Lily House will also be refurbished as part of the broader plan. Both structures will remain open to visitors for the next two years before the closures begin in 2027.

Originally hailed as an engineering marvel, the Palm House was the first glasshouse of its scale when it was built, using techniques borrowed from shipbuilding. Its latest transformation aims to honor that legacy while ensuring it remains a beacon of botanical conservation for generations to come.

“We’re doing this so the Palm House can stand strong for another 100 years,” said Purdon. “It’s about future-proofing one of the world’s most beloved historic buildings.”