7th October 2009
by Tracy Norris
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh celebrated the opening today of their stunning new Visitor Centre, the John Hope Gateway. Alan Bennell, Head of Visitor Services at the Botanics is a happy man as he welcomes the first visitors to the centre. The sun was shining, which always guarantees a busy day at the gardens, but it wouldn’t have mattered if it was a wet and rainy day, the new Visitor Centre is definitely an ‘all weather’ attraction. Fabulous exotic planting, exciting interactive exhibitions, great new dining facilities and a retail area for both souvenirs and plants.
The doors opened at 9.30 this morning and by 9.45 there was already a buzz about the place, with many of the gardens’ regular visitors making a special visit today, alongside employees old and new and young families who came to enjoy breakfast in the new restaurant facilities.
The ‘wow’ factor is clearly evident in the gasps and delighted faces of the visitors. The eco-building cost an eye-watering £16 million, but the result is an architecturally beautiful structure that celebrates the natural resources for which Scotland is famed. Caithness Stone lines the walls, with Douglas Fir timber is used throughout. The walls of windows help the building to blend into its surroundings naturally, quashing any fears there may have been that the building would detract from the gardens themselves.
“We’ve been waiting many years for this but the garden has been waiting more than 300 years for it! … At last we have visitor facilities that are commensurate with the gardens”.
The new visitor centre is undoubtedly a success and signifies a new chapter in the long history of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. As Alan Bennell headed off to join other visitors for breakfast he commented “it was my idea to serve breakfast in the restaurant, I really pushed for it, and now I’m going to go and enjoy it!”.
