Kew Gardens London famous Temperate House will close on 4 August 2013 for 5 years for a much-needed £34.3 million facelift. The Temperate House glasshouse was opened in 1863 to house the growing collection of plants being brought back to Kew by from all over the world by Victorian plant hunters. The main collections today are from Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific.