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ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS – KEW

Sarah Oldridge �3 May 20��

Our speaker commenced her talk by informing us that she had been at Kew for 27 years and was now working in Adult Education giving talks and organizing courses. As a result of this experience, she was worried she would overrun her alloted time

as she had so much she could tell us.

Our speaker then informed us of the meaning of the title of the gardens. Royal – started by a Queen, Botanic – enquiry into plants, Gardens – there were many individual ones and Kew – the site is next to the River Thames and Richmond.

Queen Caroline, wife of George II, was a keen gardener and they lived on the Richmond estate. Their son, Frederick, Prince of Wales and his wife, Princess Augusta rented an adjoining estate. Princess Augusta enjoyed gardening whilst Frederick preferred to play the cello. However he died in �76� of pneumonia having spent too much time in their garden on one occasion. The original gardens were of 9 acres – now 300 acres – and we were told that the site was not suitable for a garden as, being next to the river, the soil is very poor, comprising mainly sand and gravel, which today is kept well composted. The gardens were founded in �759 and an old tree has been carbon dated to �76�. The famous Chinese Pagoda was built in six months in �762. It is �63-feet high and originally was very ornate with gold paint together with painted wooden dragons and bells. Unfortunately it is no longer open to the public as it is now too fragile. The first glass house was erected in Princess Augusta’s time. Huge amounts of bark were poured in and the plants then planted in the bark which retains heat. Following the death of Frederick, Princess Augusta asked Lord Bute to be her scientific adviser at Kew and William Chambers her architect. It was he who travelled to Asia collecting plants and was responsible for the building of the Pagoda and the Little Temple of the Four Winds which was built on a mound which had been formed from the spoil dug out for the lake. George III (Farmer George) lived in the White House in �76�, was married to Charlotte and had �6 children, who of necessity, lived in a cottage next door. He was not particularly interested in gardening but preferred agriculture.

Slides showed us many aspects of the various gardens at Kew, including covered walk-ways (laburnum) which were very popular in the seventeenth century as ladies like to keep the sun from their faces. The Nosegay Parterre is filled with herbs and scented flowers as it was customary to carry a sweet-smelling posy to block the smell of unwashed bodies and other unwholesome odours.

Many famous explorers brought back plants for Kew including Joseph Banks who accompanied Captain Cook and became President of the Royal Society. It was Capability Brown who brought the rhododendron to Kew.

In �820 the Gardens fell into decline, but in �840 William IV, by Act of Parliament, handed

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the gardens over to the State. William Hooker became President.

Our speaker then informed us that they have 8 million plants and specimens at Kew together with a library of � million botanical books. Expeditions are going on all the time to bring back new plant specimens which are carefully recorded and described before being pressed in newspaper and covered in alcohol before being sealed in a plastic bag for sending to Kew for processing.

A Victorian lady, Marianne North, took up painting at the age of 40 and travelled alone all over the world painting flowers. She presented 800 oil paintings to Kew and also provided a house in which to show them

The first lady gardeners appeared in �896 from a school in Swanley but they were only admitted when dressed like men!

A conservation area surrounding Queen Charlotte’s Cottage was established as an English Wilderness to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

In �987 The Princess of Wales Glass House was erected which includes ten different climate zones. This is a perfect educational experience for school children as it is contained in one building.

Another slide showed the Giant Amazonian Water Lily which can have a diameter of 8-ft and has been proved to support the weight of a baby (no weight of the baby was given!).

In �987 �.6 million crocus corms were planted to form a carpet – this was a donation from Readers Digest

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Also in October of �987, Kew was hit by the hurricane which devastated many parts of England. Kew lost �500 trees and the gardens closed for a massive clear up. Much of the timber went to artists so that it could live on. Kew has given pride of place to a wooden mural which has been made by a �6 year old schoolboy.

Our speaker said she could not close her lecture without mentioning Wakefield Place. Although owned by the National Trust, Kew leases it and pays for all the running costs. The 500 acres has much better soil conditions and a better climate than at Kew. Kew does, however, own the property which houses the Millennium Seed Bank. It is hoped that seeds of every plant in the world will eventually be stored here for future generations with the exception of acorns and chestnuts on which research is still being undertaken for suitable storage measures.

Kew is funded from a grant from the Government but still has to charge for entry and the revenue from the restaurant, coffee shops all goes to its coffers. Marriages, concerts, corporate entertaining and Friends of Kew also help.

Diane Braybrooke