ET BureauGlass House At the centre of every flower show at Lalbagh and the present one is the 204th is the palatial Glass House, which is the garden's biggest attraction. It was built in 1889 to commemorate the visit of Albert Victor, grandson of Queen Victoria and former Prince of Wales. The Glass House was initially called the Albert Victor Conservatory, and the reception party for the prince was hosted by Mysuru maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar.
“The prince also laid the foundation stone, and the structure was modelled after England's Crystal Palace,“ says MR Chandrashekhar, deputy director, Lalbagh. The Crystal Palace in London was destroyed in 1936, so the design of the Glass House remains one of its kind. It also happens to be one of the first pre-fabricated structures built in India meaning, the parts were made in England and shipped to India. The main hall of the Glass House is spread across 160 ft X 80 ft. Two wings perpendicular to it measure 60ft X 40ft each.
The development of the Lalbagh garden, spread across 25 acres today , was commissioned by ruler of Mysuru, Haider Ali, in 1760 and was completed by his son Tipu Sultan. It was officially established as a government botanical garden in 1856. Its first-known plant census, conducted in 1861, records 1033 species. The idea of building the Glass House there was proposed by John Cameron, who took over as the superintendent of Lalbagh on March 1874. An expert in botany , he was trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew. Cameron introduced almost 160 new plant species in Lalbagh every year and was incharge for 33 years.
The purpose of the Glass House was to facilitate acclimatisation of plants and to use it as a venue for flower shows. Cameron passed on the baton to GH Krumbiegel in January 1908 and returned to England. The Glass House was renovated in 2004 at a cost of Rs 5 crore, involving 60,000 tonnes of glass (3505 unbreakable panes) and 1000 square metres of galvanised steel.
“The first flower show was conducted in 1912,“ informs Chandrashekar. Ever since, the shows have been held on the weeks leading up to Republic Day (January 26) and Independence Day (August 15). There are more than 100 varieties of flowers on display and over 4 lakh roses.Costing Rs 1.3 crore, the show attracts close to 5 lakh visitors.
“The prince also laid the foundation stone, and the structure was modelled after England's Crystal Palace,“ says MR Chandrashekhar, deputy director, Lalbagh. The Crystal Palace in London was destroyed in 1936, so the design of the Glass House remains one of its kind. It also happens to be one of the first pre-fabricated structures built in India meaning, the parts were made in England and shipped to India. The main hall of the Glass House is spread across 160 ft X 80 ft. Two wings perpendicular to it measure 60ft X 40ft each.
The development of the Lalbagh garden, spread across 25 acres today , was commissioned by ruler of Mysuru, Haider Ali, in 1760 and was completed by his son Tipu Sultan. It was officially established as a government botanical garden in 1856. Its first-known plant census, conducted in 1861, records 1033 species. The idea of building the Glass House there was proposed by John Cameron, who took over as the superintendent of Lalbagh on March 1874. An expert in botany , he was trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew. Cameron introduced almost 160 new plant species in Lalbagh every year and was incharge for 33 years.
The purpose of the Glass House was to facilitate acclimatisation of plants and to use it as a venue for flower shows. Cameron passed on the baton to GH Krumbiegel in January 1908 and returned to England. The Glass House was renovated in 2004 at a cost of Rs 5 crore, involving 60,000 tonnes of glass (3505 unbreakable panes) and 1000 square metres of galvanised steel.
“The first flower show was conducted in 1912,“ informs Chandrashekar. Ever since, the shows have been held on the weeks leading up to Republic Day (January 26) and Independence Day (August 15). There are more than 100 varieties of flowers on display and over 4 lakh roses.Costing Rs 1.3 crore, the show attracts close to 5 lakh visitors.
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