First Look at Kew Garden's Renovated Temperate House

The historic and stunning botanical Kew Gardens in London have finally reopened their much-loved Temperate House. After an extensive five year renovation, the iconic octagonal greenhouse opened to the public in May of this year. The revamp included transporting over 10,000 plants and replacing 15,000 panes of glass.

The most complex renovation since the Temperature House first opened in 1863, the total of the building's face lift was a whopping £41 million pounds. This included new plants, 69,000 pieces of metal and enough scaffolding to stretch the length of the M25! However, all the money spent and many hours put in was all worth it when it was unveiled to the awaiting public in early May.

What makes the Temperature House incredibly special is that they are home to several wonderfully unique species of plants that have since been made extinct in the wild, such as the cycas Encephalartos Woodii. It dates back to prehistoric times, when its distinctive spikes helped to protect it from dinosaurs. Rather sadly, it is known as “the loneliest tree in the world” due to the fact that only the male specimens survived.