Belfast Botanic Garden

Botanic Gardens was established in 1828 by the Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society, in response to public interest in horticulture and botany. Originally known as the Belfast Botanic Garden, the site contained exotic tree species and impressive plant collections from the southern hemisphere, many of which can still be seen in the park.

Unfortunately for the Society, the gardens proved expensive to run and many shareholders felt that the park's horticulture was compromised by financial issues. The site was eventually sold to the Belfast Corporation (now the Belfast City Council) and it re-opened as a public park, known as Botanic Gardens, in 1895.

Today, the park is popular with residents, students and tourists and is an important venue for concerts, festivals and other events.

Botanic Gardens is also home to the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine. The Palm House contains a range of tropical plants, hanging baskets, seasonal displays and is one of the earliest examples of a glasshouse made from curved iron and glass. It shows how advances in glasshouse technology allowed horticulturists to grow exotic plant species during the Victorian period.

The building was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, who also helped design parts of nearby Queen's University. The foundation stone was laid in 1839 and the two wings were completed in 1840 by leading ironmaster, Richard Turner. The dome was added in 1852.

The Tropical Ravine, or the Tropical Glen as it was known, was built in 1889 by the park's head gardener, Charles McKimm, and his staff.

Like the Palm House, it shows how technology allowed gardeners to cultivate unusual species in a greenhouse environment. Features of interest include a plant-filled sunken glen, flowering vines, tree ferns and leaf silhouettes.

In 1900 the Tropical Ravine was extended with a second section. This section was kept warmer than the original ravine and used for tropical plants rather than temperate species. A further extension was built in 1902 to install a heated pond to grow the giant water lily from South America.

In 1980, a new aluminium-framed roof was constructed and set on to the original trusses and about 10,000 square feet of glass was then inserted onto the framework. Work at this time also included a new sprinkler system, heating system and additional lighting.

The ravine is nearing the end of a major £3.8million refurbishment that began in 2015. Once reopened it will again be home to rare plant species such as the Killarney Fern and exotic orchid, banana, cinnamon, bromeliad plants from around the world.

Address: College Park, Botanic Avenue, BT7 1LP

Opening Time: opens at 7:30 am, the closing time varies and will be posted on the official website.