An iconic Edinburgh Botanics building is set for a serious transformation, it has been announced.
The Caledonian Hall has stood proudly as part of the gardens for decades, and has hosted many a function and wedding during its time.
Originally built in the 1800s, the hall was used as an exhibition hall for experimental plants until in 1964 it began showing preserved specimens.
Many years later and the space is one of the most popular function spaces in the city, with weddings, parties and funerals all held in the heart of the gardens.
However, the key event space will soon be undergoing a major interior refurbishment worth £100,000 to bring it into the 21st century.
According to a contract notice, the current hall is “now showing signs of wear and tear”, with a plain decor highlighting the issues that need attention.
Although initially intended to allow clients to dress the room to their theme, the wear and tear is said to have seen potential clients “choosing to hold their event elsewhere”.
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Desperate to see the hall continue to be a popular space and bring income for the gardens, a project has now began to see the hall given a fresh and modern feel.
Now searching for contractors to bring the vision to life, the notice read:
“The project is to redecorate the space to create a sense of “wow” on arrival and to better reflect the venue’s unique selling point as a historic building within a botanic garden. The décor should reflect and celebrate nature and the living collection within RBGE
The purpose of the project is support our strategic objective to generate increased commercial income for RBGE by creating a five-star venue within the garden to attract new clients, increasing the number of events held and creating new products to sell to new and existing customers.”
