BELFAST ABROAD | THREE GLASSHOUSES. ONE IRISH IRONMASTER.
What connects a London landmark, an Irish country house and Belfast’s Botanic Gardens?
The answer is Richard Turner.
In 1839, work began on Belfast’s Palm House, designed by Charles Lanyon, with Turner responsible for constructing its original curved iron and glass wings, completed in 1840.
A few years later, Turner worked alongside architect Decimus Burton to create the spectacular Palm House at London’s Kew Gardens, completed in 1848.
Around the same time, Turner designed the elegant conservatory at Ballyfin Demesne in County Laois, dating to approximately 1848, which survives today as a glasshouse dining room.
Three remarkable buildings. Three different locations. One pioneering Irish ironmaster.
A connection stretching from Belfast to London and the Irish countryside, through the remarkable work of one man.
Belfast Abroad, finding connections between Belfast and places around the world
