Kew Gardens

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Kew Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is 250 years - old this year (2009).
Kew Gardens as it has become known started out as a Royal residence.
It was just a field in 1600. In the late 1700's Princess Augusta with the help of Lord Bute created the botanic garden. Bute had studied botany. When her son George III inherited he replaced Bute with Sir Joseph Banks. He had been on the Endeavour with Captain Cook on a voyage around the world collecting plants. He was a great advocate of plant exploration and brought back many species of plants and flowers to this country. Around 7000 plant species that were new to Britain were brought in throughout George III is reign.
The buildings at Kew consist of the Queen's cottage which is where the Royal family had tea. They would use it as a summerhouse. Kew Palace was where George III lived for a time.
The Palm House is an amazing structure that was designed by an architect
called Decimus Burton and then finished by the engineer Richard Turner. This beautiful structure was finished in 1848. It is made of glass and iron. The palm house is home to the tropical plants. There is the temperate house and the Princess of Wales Conservatory which was built more recently but neither match the design of the palm house.
The pagoda was designed by William Chambers and was finished in 1762. It is 10 stories high (163 ft almost 150 m) and at one stage had 80 dragons on it but these had to be sold in order to pay the debts of George III. When it was built it was the tallest rebuilding in Europe of a Chinese building.
The newest addition to Kew is the treetop walkway. You can go high up and
see the tops of the trees seeing things you may not normally be able to see. You will also get an added bonus of a view of London.
Kew is well known as a school of horticulture. It's seed bank and it's scientific research make Kew a leading authority of plants.

© Children's Web Magazine 2009