Botanic Gardens
The famous Kibble Palace in the Botanic Gardens is probably one of Glasgow's best-loved buildings. Built by engineer John Kibble at his house in Coulport, Loch Long, this unique glasshouse was presented by him to the Royal Botanic Institution. It was dismantled, shipped up the Clyde and rebuilt in 1873, with structural alterations which included increasing the diameter of the main dome, and erecting two wings off the smaller dome.
Originally used as a Winter Garden for concerts and important events, this building was the venue for the inaugural meeting of the British Association during its visit to Glasgow in 1876, and for both Disraeli and Gladstone's Addresses as Rectors of Glasgow University.
The Botanical Collection was started in 1881 when the Royal Botanic Institution bought out the lease. Today the Kibble Palace houses flora from the Temperate Zones, including Southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America, North America, China, Japan, the Mediterranean, the Canaries and Madeira.
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