Kew Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens)

Kew Gardens, officially the Royal Botanic Gardens, are situated in southwest London on the south bank of the Thames. Here some 30,000 plants are identified every year, more than 50,000 plants are grown and specimens and information are exchanged with botanists and botanical institutions all over the world. Here, too, the Brazilian rubber tree was adapted to the climatic conditions of the Malay peninsula, and here was developed the Marquis strain of wheat which made it possible to bring the prairies of northwest Canada into cultivation.

Picture - Kew Palace at the Kew Gardens.

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Kew Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens) Map

Important Information:

Official site: www.kew.org

Address: Kew Road, Kew, Richmond TW9 3AB, England

Opening hours: Feb 8 to Mar 28: 9:30am-5:30pm
Aug 31 to Oct 25: 9:30am-6pm
Oct 26 to Feb 7: 9:30am-4:15pm

Always opened on: Spring Bank Holiday - Britain (last Monday, May), Summer Bank Holiday - Britain outside Scotland (last Monday, Aug)

Always closed on: New Year's Day (Jan 1), Christmas - Christian (Dec 25), Christmas Eve - Christian (Dec 24)

Entrance fee in GBP: Adult £13.00, Disabled in wheelchair £12.00, Concession or reduced rate £12.00, Child 16 & under FREE

Useful tips: Hothouses close 5:30 p.m.

Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.

Guides: Guided tour available as optional extra.

Facilities: Gift shop, Restaurant or food service

Transit: BritRail: Kew Bridge; Underground: Kew Gardens.

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The Herbarium contains a collection of over seven million dried plants and the Library has more than 50,000 volumes of botanical literature.

The gardens were first laid out in 1759 on the initiative of Princess Augusta, mother of George III. In 1841 they became government property, and in 1897 Queen Victoria added Queen's Cottage and the adjoining woodland. In 1773 Joseph Banks, a botanist who accompanied James Cook around the world, became Director of Kew during George III's reign. At this time countless exotic plants were introduced into the gardens from expeditions to remote parts of the world. Under the direction of Sir William Hooker (1841), the Botanic Gardens gained worldwide renown.

A river cruise down the Thames is a particularly lovely way to get to the 300 acres of gardens.

Related Attractions

Kew Gardens Greenhouses & Palace

The two huge Victorian greenhouses, the Palm House (recently restored) and the Temperate House (the largest greenhouse in the world at the turn of this century) were the work of architect Decimus Burton and engineer Richard Turner and earned great acclaim at the time of their construction. Together with the impressive variety of plants in an area of 120 ha/250 acres, the historic herb garden behind Kew Palace and the Princess of Wales Conservatory (opened in 1987), displaying tropical plants in their natural habitat, are of particular interest. The little Kew Palace, officially known as the Dutch House, is open to the public (11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. daily from Apr.-Sept.; additional admission charge). The palace was occupied by George III during his fits of madness, and Queen Charlotte, his wife, died here. The furniture, furnishings and pictures give a picture of the domestic life of the royal family in Georgian times.

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Queen Charlotte's Cottage

Queen Charlotte's Cottage, built for Queen Charlotte in 1772 and recently restored in the original style, was a favorite residence of Queen Victoria. It stands in a garden which by Victoria's desire was left in its natural state as an area of woodland. Other charming buildings in Kew Gardens are the Chinese pagoda (by Sir William Chambers, 1761) and the Japanese gateway, a copy of a gate in the Nishi-Honganji temple in Kyoto.

The Royal family often took tea and breakfast in Queen Charlotte's Cottage.

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