The Edwardian Palm House was acknowledged to be one of the best in the UK by the 1940s, housing a particularly fine collection of not only palms (some unique in Britain), but also ferns, mosses, flowers such as begonias, carnations & orchids, even orange trees.
Unfortunately, the building was gutted by fire in 1949. After costly renovation, it has become the humid home of hundreds of free-flying butterflies (30 exotic species) living amongst tropical vegetation.