Crystal Palace inspired other conservatories

Following the news that Londons Crystal Palace glass house is to be restored to its former glory, it has emerged that a similar building in Bangalore, India, was inspired by the giant conservatory, according to the Decan Herald.

The Glass House of Bangalore is said to be one of the citys more popular tourist attractions and was built around former director of horticulture James Camerons vision of constructing a building to acclimatise exotic plants and host flower shows.

The Crystal Palace was built in 1851 and was seen as the pinnacle of architecture at the time.

The Indian Glass House had a distinctly British flavour as it was prefabricated by McFarlanes of Glasgow in a similar way to the Crystal Palace, and the foundation stone was laid by the Prince of Wales, Albert Victor Christian Edward.

The building then took the name of the Albert Victor Conservatory, following the Princes contribution in 1889.

More than 100 years later, conservatories are still seen as an excellent way to modernise the home or commercial building.

Adding a conservatory can add an extra, more exotic dimension to a building.