Sometimes it’s like a submarine that has surfaced in the middle of a Victorian park and at others it’s a hippopotamus wallowing in a lagoon. It is as curved and and as satifying as a Matisse cut out or a Henry Moore sculpture. And whilst majestic and moving, it retains a comical element – from some angles looks like the teletubbies hillside home.
Its clearly art.
And it required mind boggling technical skills to create it.
The Palm House at Kew Gardens may be London’s loveliest building.
The building was erected in 1844. The magicians who brought the Palm House into being were Richard Turner – the engineer/builder – and architect Decimus Burton. There are arguments over who did exactly what, with perhaps the architect getting too much of the credit. Whoever was responsible, clearly genius was in the room with this project.
