Inside the steamy windows

Discover what to photograph inside a botanical hot house, with Wendy Evans

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PLACES TO GO

Here are some more of the botanical hot houses around the country.

1 Palm House, Kew Gardens, London

2 Belfast Botanic Gardens, Belfast

3 Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Glasgow

4 Bicton Park Botanical Gardens, Devon

5 National Botanic Gardens of Wales, Carmarthenshire

6 Eden Project, Cornwall

The Victorians felt that the exotic flora they had gathered from the furthest reaches of the British Empire would look good at home, if only they could manage the miserable weather. And so, the idea of the botanical hot house was born. There are examples of these magnificent Victorian structures all over the country, packed with exotic plants, trees and fruits, sweltering in tropical heat throughout the long, cold British winter. One of the most modern incarnations of these homages to biodiversity is, of course, the futuristic-looking Eden Project in Cornwall, which is where I went for this feature. Check out our location guide for a tropical hot house near you.