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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Wakehurst Place

The Palm House at Kew

Kew Field in 1600 was a large strip farmed field. By the 1730s the field had been enclosed. By the first half of the seventeenth century the Kew estate was in the hands of the Capel family. It was the Capels who first developed gardens at Kew. The Capels were obsessed with gardening, and their gardens were admired for their greenhouses and exotic plants. In 1759 Princess Augusta and Lord Bute established the first botanic garden at Kew. This garden followed in the tradition of botanic gardens first established in Pisa, Padua and Florence in the 1540s as medicinal teaching collections. The first botanic gardens in Britain were the Oxford Botanic Garden established in 1621, and the Chelsea Physic Garden of 1673. The motive behind these gardens was certainly not decorative. Initially there was a medical involvement. This soon gave way to a role in empire building and colonial expansion. Plants were brought back from colonies and their economic value assessed. Advice and expertise was offered back to the colonies.

The gardens of Richmond, neighbouring Kew, had a long royal connection. In 1772 George the Third united Kew Gardens with its neighbour. It was at this point that Joseph Banks became involved. Banks was a wealthy entrepreneur and natural history enthusiast. His overseas collecting expeditions included James Cook's round the world expedition on the Endeavour between 1768 and 1771. On his return to England from this voyage Banks was granted an audience with George the Third, a meeting which led to an alliance crucial to the history of Kew. George the Third and Joseph Banks were to become the major driving force behind the development of Kew Gardens as an internationally recognised institution.

From 1773 Joseph Banks took charge at Kew. The gardens were now seeking economic uses for exotic plants brought back from overseas. It was through this work that Banks played a marginal role in a famous incident of eighteenth century naval history: in 1793 Banks supervised a plan to transport breadfruit seedlings from their native Tahiti to the West Indies to improve the diet of plantation slaves. This had been attempted two years earlier, on a ship called HMS Bounty, captained by James Bligh. A mutiny on that occasion delayed the plan.

Kew Palace, home of George the Third from 1800 - 1820

By 1800 Kew had an international reputation. But a downturn in the garden's fortunes was to occur in 1820 when both Banks and George the Third died. Without these two powerful advocates Kew Gardens lost its way. In 1839 a parliamentary enquiry was organised to decide the fate of the gardens. The enquiry resulted in the appointment of William Hooker as the first official director at Kew. The gardens were freed from royal control and became a National Botanic Garden. Reinvigoration followed, with Kew playing its familiar imperial role, supplying seeds and scientific expertise to the colonies.

Between 1841 and 1885 the Palm House and the Temperate House were built. These structures are amongst the most spectacular examples of Victorian architecture. Research was expanded. A railway was completed, and Kew became a visitor attraction as well as a research establishment. All of this development was supervised by William Hooker, and then from 1865 by his son Joseph. Kew remained intimately associated with the Empire, and this was to continue up until the beginning of the Second World War.

Incidentally it is probable that the writer H.G. Wells in his book The Time Machine based his vision of the future on Kew Gardens. Follow the link to H.G. Wells for more details.

Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place

From the end of the war the economic role in a declining Empire was replaced by an interest in conservation. With the appointment of Ghillian Prance in 1988 conservation became the main focus at Kew. The idea was to change Kew's role from serving the needs of the colonies to serving the needs of the world as a whole. Kew is now a leading conservation research centre. In 1965 Kew had taken over the management of the Wakehurst estate in Sussex. This gave extra space for expansion. It was here that the Millennium Seed Bank was built. This is a repository for seeds from every species of British plants, and for seeds from tens of thousands of other economically important plants from all around the world. It is hoped that the collection will protect plants threatened with extinction and help in their regeneration.

Education is also an important concern. The Evolution House at Kew has recreated environments from distant earth history, allowing visitors to walk through a history of life on earth.

 

 

The Seed Bank is in effect a Noah's Ark for the plant life of Britain, and the rest of the world. It is a peaceful place of shallow reflecting pools, polished stone work and glass. All the diversity of nature is held in this quiet, shiny place, in cold storage below ground, waiting to wake up.

Both centres offer guided tours, guided trails, educational facilities, and lectures. Restaurant facilities are good.

Opening Times for Wakehurst are February 10am - 4.30pm daily, March 1st to October 31st 10am to 6pm daily, the seed bank and mansion close at 5pm. From 1st November to 31st January 2009 10am to 4.30pm daily, the seed bank and mansion close at 3:30pm. Wakehurst is closed the 24th and 25th December.

Opening Times for Kew Gardens are from 10th February to 29th March 9.30am - 5.30pm, last admission 5pm. From 30th March to 30th August 2008 on weekdays 9:30am to 6:30pm and at weekends and bank holidays 9:30am to 7:30pm. Last entry is 30 minutes prior to closure. From 31st August to 25th October 9.30am - 6pm. Kew Palace opens at 10am from the 21st March and last admission is at 4:15pm.

 

Directions: Kew is near Richmond, south west of London. The gardens are served by their own Underground station on the District Line. From north London Silverlink trains run direct to the station at Kew. River boat services are also available from Westminster, with a journey time of between fifty five and ninety minutes depending on the tide. See www.wpsa.co.uk for details of sailings. Car parking at Kew is limited so it is advisable to use public transport if possible. Click here for an interactive map centred on Kew.

Directions: Wakehurst is on the B2028 at Ardingly, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex. There is ample car parking. Click here for an interactive map centred on Wakehurst Place.

The Temperate House at Kew

Access: wheelchair access at Kew is good. There is level access at the Underground Station. At the gardens wheelchairs are available to borrow on a first come first served basis. The only area which cannot be reached by wheelchair users is the Marine Display in the Palm House basement. There are adapted toilet facilities. A large print map is available for those with sight problems. At Wakehurst wheelchairs and mobility scooters are available, and a map details which areas of the garden are suitable for wheelchairs. There are adapted toilet facilities.

Contact: for Kew

telephone: 020 8332 5655

e-mail: info@kew.org

Contact: for Wakehurst

telephone: 01444 894000

e-mail: wakehurst@kew.org

Web site for Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Wakehurst: www.rbgkew.org.uk