Dome

View looking out from the steps of the central pavilion into the formal garden, on axis; Syon Park borders the Thames, looking across the river to Kew Gardens, and near its banks is a tidal meadow flooded twice a day by the river. It contains more than 200 species of rare trees. Although the park and lake were designed by Capability Brown in 1760, their character today is nineteenth century. The circular pool has a copy of Giambologna's Mercury. The Great Conservatory in the gardens, designed by Charles Fowler in 1826 and completed in 1830, was the first conservatory to be built from metal and glass on a large scale. It was originally designed to act as a show house for the Duke's exotic plants and inspired Joseph Paxton in his designs for the Crystal Palace. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 6/15/2009)