Kew
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Kew is part of a series about Shakespeare's Way.
Kew is home to the Royal Botanic Gardens, which is one of the world's leading botanic gardens, the UK National Records Office and a Royal Palace. It is on the walking trail from Stratford-upon-Avon to Shakespeare's Globe theatre, on London's Bankside, and is a mere seven miles south west from the heart of the city of London, sitting on the south bank of the River Thames.
It is thought that there was a settlement at Kew as far back as Roman and Early Medieval times but the first documented evidence for a settlement dates to 1313 and it is only in 1483 that the hamlet of Kew was recorded to be of taxable size.
The Photograph is of St Anne's church, Kew Green.and was taken by Wikipedia user Patche99z, who released the image into the public domain. Among the people buried at Saint Anne's Church are the famous English painter Thomas Gainsborough and Sir William Hooker, who was director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, together with a number of others associated with Kew Gardens.
The Panorama of Kew Green, London is from 3 photos taken and merged by Wikipedia user Patche99z, who released the finished image into the public domain.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The first botanic garden to be established at Kew was funded by Princess Augusta and Lord Bute in 1759, when they employed the gardener William Aiton on a 10 acre (4 hectares) site, mainly devoted to medicinal plants. Following Princess Augusta's death in 1772, Sir Joseph Banks became involved in the garden and began its development as an internationally important Botanic Garden.
Pictures of Kew Gardens
Photographs from the Your Kew Photo Group on Flickr
Kew Pix photoset by Taxus.
Note that you must have Javascript enabled and the latest Adobe Flashplayer installed in order to view this slideshow of photographs from Kew Gardens.
The death of Sir Joseph Banks in 1820 coincided with that of George III and their departure almost led to the disestablishment of the Gardens. Indeed, by 1831 the Botanic Gardens at Kew no longer actively collected plants, even though it still received many specimens from around the world. Fortunately, there was a revival in 1841 and the period to 1885 saw a massive expansion of the now, Royal Botanic Gardens, under the patronage of Queen Victoria and the directorship of father and son, William and Joseph Hooker. The garden was restructured, two huge glasshouses, the Palm House and the Temperate House, were built; a National Arboretum was established and the Herbarium collection, instrumental in securing Kew Garden's place as a leading botanic garden, was founded.
- Information about events and exhibitions is available at the Kew Gardens website
- An interesting aspect of Kew Gardens is that it is so large and so well landscaped, that you can easily lose yourself in the grounds for a whole day. Even then, you would be hard put to see everything that it has to offer in one visit and of course, the whole experience changes with the seasons.
Kew opens at 9.30am every day except 24/25 December.
At Kew Gardens, you can enjoy walking through over 300 acres of beautiful landscapes and plant collections. The gardens also feature some magnificent glass houses and a Botanical Art Gallery. - Interactive map of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew
- Use the interactive map to explore Kew Garden's features and facilities. It is a PDF, so can be printed off, or you can collect a map at the ticket office as you enter the gardens.
Highlights include: The Temperate House, The Palm House, The Princess of Wales Conservatory, the Xstrata Treetop Walkway and of course, the gardens themselves.
Kew Temperate House by Philip MacKenzie
Visitor Highlights in Kew Gardens
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The Temperate House
The Temperate House is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. It covers 4,880 square metres and is 19 metres (63 feet) high.
- Get more information about the Temperate House at Kew
The Palm House
The Palm House was designed to grow the exotic palms being collected and introduced to Europe in early Victorian times and is regarded as the most important surviving Victorian iron and glass structure in the world.- Read more about The Palm House at Kew
The Princess of Wales Conservatory
The modern, Princess of Wales Conservatory, is the most complex of Kew's public glasshouses, with ten climatic zones all computer-controlled under one roof. It was named in honour of Augusta, Princess of Wales who founded the Gardens and was opened by the late Diana, Princess of Wales in July 1987.- Find out more about The Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew
The Xstrata Treetop Walkway
The Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway opened to the public in 2008 on International Biodiversity Day. It is located in the Arboretum, between the Temperate House and the Lake.- Latest information about The Xstrata Treetop Walkway at Kew
- This 18-metre high, 200-metre walkway takes visitors through the canopy of Lime, Sweet Chestnut and Oak trees.
The Pagoda at Kew by Philip MacKenzie
Kew in Print
Queen Charlotte's Cottage at Kew photographed by Philip MacKenzie
Kew Palace
The house has been owned by a succession of wealthy citizens, including Sir Richard Levett, who became Lord Mayor of London in 1699, before it moved into the hands of the royal family around 1730.
The palace was lived in and developed by Augusta, Princess of Wales, and then by her son, George lll before he became king. For this reason, it became known as the Prince of Wales' House; George IV and his brother Frederick, following their father and being given Kew Palace until they came of age.
At the end of her long reign Queen Victoria, George III's granddaughter, opened the palace to the public in 1898.
- Kew Palace website has information about events and exhibitions
- Kew palace has a number of "Royal" artefacts on display, including a priceless Doll's house, an amazing bust of George III that was made by Madame Tussaud, George III's silk damask waistcoat, an extraordinary cabinet containing some of the earliest jigsaw maps in existence and the chair that Queen Charlotte rested in when she died. You can also see the People's Library, where you can find out more about Kew Palace and royal life in the 18th century and get a unique view into the princesses' bedrooms.
Kew Palace is currently closed and re-opens 2 April 2010.
Queen Charlotte's Cottage was built in the grounds for Queen Charlotte at around 1771. It was somewhere private that the Queen and her family could use for secluded royal picnicking and leisure time, and is described as being like something out of Hansel and Gretel. - Learn more about Queen Charlotte's Cottage
- The grounds surrounding the cottage contain one of London's finest Bluebell woods,
Kew Palace photographed by Chris Weller
The River Thames at Kew
Another great photograph by Wikipedia user Patche99z, this time of Kew Bridge. Being the copyright holder of this work, he published it under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Kew Bridge crosses the River Thames between Kew Green in Kew, which is on the south bank of the river and Strand-on-the-Green in Chiswick, which is on the on the north bank. The Kew side of the bridge is right next to the Royal Botanic Gardens and on the north.side of the river, it sits adjacent to the Kew Bridge Steam Museum, which was formerly the Grand Junction Waterworks Company.
To read about the history of the bridge, visit Wikipedia.
Kew Gardens Pier
A picture of Kew Gardens Pier by Wikipedia user Patche99z, who released the finished image into the public domain.
Kew Gardens Pier is a few metres downstream of the bridge and is used by ferry boats that run between Kew and Westminster Pier in central London.
The National Archives
The National Archives is the UK government's official archive
- Jump to The National Archives website
- The National Archives is at Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU
Many records are accessible online but you can also visit the archives in Kew to see original documents or records on microfilm or microfiche. Entrance to The National Archives is free and they also hold a range of events, including free public talks on records of interest.
Getting to Kew
Kew Bridge Steam Museum
- Visit the Kew Bridge Steam Museum website for further information, including lists of events and exhibitions.
- Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Green Dragon Lane
Brentford
Middlesex
TW8 0EN
The museum is on the north side of Kew Bridge, under the tall Victorian Stand Pipe Tower.
It is open 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, except Bank Holidays.
The Musical Museum
- The Musical Museum website
- 399 High Street
Brentford
TW8 0DU
Closed on Mondays.
Normal opening times are Tuesday - Sunday 11.00 to 17.30
Kew Posts
- Kew Gardens co-op Parkway Village now historic
- By Melissa Chan Parkway Village in Kew Gardens Hills is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Parkway Village in Kew Gardens Hills ? deemed worthy of preservation ? has joined the nation's official list of historic places.
- 'Kew Dancing Man' passes away
- sarah on 'Kew Dancing Man' passes away a true character of which we need moreAs famous as the Skipping GirlMay you dance your way through eternity great man.We ... more Alex on 'Kew Dancing Man' passes away A simple man with his love for dancing, ...
- New principal shares vision for Swasey School
- By Aaron Davis BRENTWOOD ? Ronald Kew, currently a principal at Gossler Park Elementary School in Manchester, has been selected as the new principal of Swasey Central School. "I am honored that I was selected as the new principal of Swasey Central ...
- Kew calls for apprentice Scarlett
- Scarlett English, 20, has been offered an apprenticeship in botanical horticulture at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. The level three horticulture diploma student at Duchy College Rosewarne said she was delighted. "I didn't expect to get this place ...
Last Pictures of Kew
Blog posts from Kew Gardens
Kew on Twitter
What do you think of Kew?
Just a few miles from the center of London, I think that Kew is one of those really special places that many people just don't know about; at best they have heard of Kew Gardens but even then they are probably unaware of what a spectacularly beautiful place it is.
Did you enjoy this lens about Kew?
Do you think it reflects how special Kew is?
It would be great to have some feedback from you. Any ideas or suggestions will be much appreciated.
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Michey May 20, 2012 @ 9:10 am | delete
- This is definitely a place to visit, and I like the photos and presentation.
Thanks
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Pukeko
Apr 3, 2010 @ 6:55 am | delete
- Interesting information and I love the photos. Nicely done lens on Kew.
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kajohu Mar 31, 2010 @ 9:24 pm | delete
- I love the photos, especially in the "Pictures of Kew Garden" module. Very striking!
Very nice lens.
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Geeve
Apr 2, 2010 @ 10:27 am | delete
- Thanks Kajohu,
Just lensrolled your "Favorite Online Yoga Videos" to my "Mantra of Compassion" and then found that you were LoD. Congratulations.
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- Thanks :-) I was pretty tickled about LOTD, given that it was so much fun to put the lens together -- research watching videos....
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- Kew Gardens, UK - World Heritage Site
- Kew Gardens, as the Botanic Gardens are usually called, are situated on the south west outskirts of London about 7 miles from the centre of the city. It is one of the most interesting and beautiful pl... This lens is by Stazjia
by Geeve
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