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on the Occasion of its 250th Anniversary Click to enlarge |
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Celebrating its 250th year in 2009, RBG Kew was founded in 1759 by Princess Augusta, mother of King George III. In 1802 George III united the royal estates of Kew, Richmond, and property along the river Thames into the beginnings of the Gardens we know today spanning 120 hectares (300 acres). In 1840 the direction of Kew began to change significantly as it became a national botanical garden. Director William Hooker, with famed explorer and naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, expanded the garden’s role from simple collection and display of specimens to principal center of scientific and economic botany for England and its colonies. |
 The Pagoda is the oldest of Kew’s structures, built in 1762. It is ten stories, nearly 50m (163’), tall. |
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It was during the Hooker-Banks period that two iconic glasshouses were built. The Palm House was constructed between 1844 and 1848 by Richard Turner from designs by architect Decimus Burton, and represents the first large-scale use of wrought iron. It is the world’s most important surviving Victorian glass and iron building. |
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 Inside the Palm House |
 Palm House Terrace and Pond |
 Palm House Pond |
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The Temperate House, twice the size of the Palm House, is also a Decimus Burton design. Construction began in 1860 but the building was not completed until 1899. It was completely renovated in 1978-1980 and is the largest surviving glass structure of the Victorian era. It is pictured here from Treetop Walkway, new to Kew in 2008. | |
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 The Waterlily House, guarded by the Queen's Beasts on the Palm House Terrace |
The Waterlily House, with ironwork by Richard Turner, was built in 1852 and specifically designed to house the rage of the era, Victoria amazonica. When the plant was relatively unsuccessful in the House, it was converted to other uses. It was converted back to its original purpose in 1991 and is home to Victoria and waterlilies in Kew’s hottest and most humid environment. | |
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Inside the Waterlily House
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Gallery 2 >
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