Botanic gardens In 1827 the Botanical and Horticultural Society was founded in Manchester to encourage the study of
botany and
horticulture. The society built a
botanical garden on the site covering . The site was chosen by
John Dalton for the society as it was down-wind of pollution from the city. The land, which was owned by
Thomas de Trafford, was leased to the society at a price of the society's choosing. The gardens featured a complex of plant houses and a conservatory that was built by Clarke and Jones of
Birmingham. The building was in length and the conservatory had a high dome. The buildings were heated by a system of hot water flowing through pipes. The Grade II
listed gateway that still faces Chester Road was the entrance to the gardens. In 1857 the gardens hosted the
Art Treasures Exhibition which was opened by
Prince Albert. The exhibition was visited by 1.3million visitors in 142-days. A
further exhibition was held in 1887 to celebrate
Queen Victoria's
Golden Jubilee. This exhibition attracted 4.74 million people over 192-days. The remaining was sold to Canine Sports Ltd on 1 November 1927 for the construction of
White City Stadium. ==Retail park==