Building a Glasshouse Fit for the Tropics

Cultural historian Kate Teltscher tells the story behind the Palm House at Kew Gardens, opened in 1848 at the height of Victorian Britain's fascination with exotic plants. She follows the ambitions and rivalries of the people who made it possible, from director William Hooker's botanical vision to engineer Richard Turner's audacious glass-and-iron design and curator John Smith's work keeping tropical palms alive far from home.

Part social history, part account of a remarkable feat of engineering, it will appeal to readers interested in botany, Victorian history or the stories behind great garden buildings.

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