The Ghosts of the Garden Palace
Join historian and horticulturalist Paul Nicholson, as we step back in time and uncover one of Sydney’s most extraordinary stories, the rise and fall of The Garden Palace.
The Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
29 January 2026
5.30pm – 7pm
$50 per person
$40 Foundation & Friends members
1.5 hours
A stroll through nature and art
Join historian and horticulturalist Paul Nicholson, as we step back in time and uncover one of Sydney’s most extraordinary stories, the rise and fall of The Garden Palace.
Originally built in 1879 for Sydney’s first international exhibition, the building stretched from what is now the State Library of New South Wales, across the Cahill Expressway, to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The wooden masterpiece dominated the Sydney skyline.
This captivating historic talk covers chaos, politics and ambition, as well as the suspicious fire that brought it all to an end just three years later. The talk will start with a glass of Taylors wine and something to nibble on.
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