The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, or Kew Gardens, are 300 tranquil acres of carefully manicured English gardens and curated glasshouses. Even in the London rain, abundant fields of Spring flowers boldly provide a ray of optimism. The colors are all the more vibrant in contrast to the gray skies above.
Kew Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site, had its earliest beginnings in the 16th century as Kew Field. Kew has witnessed the course of English history. In 1759, Princess Augusta and Lord Bute established the first botanic garden at Kew. Collectors were appointed to bring back exotic species from around the world. The mid-19th century, the era of Queen Victoria's reign, was the Kew's renaissance period, when its two iconic glasshouses, the Palm House and the Temperate House, were built. The Gardens took on a larger role than simply the collection and enjoyment of plants; scientific research expanded and, according to Kew's official history, "Kew became essential to the developing Empire, supplying seed, crops and horticultural advice to the colonies."
The Palm House, The Icon of Kew
Built 1844-48 by Richard Turner to Decimus Burton's designs, the Palm House is Kew's most recognisable building, having gained iconic status as the world's most important surviving Victorian glass and iron structure. The site was deliberately chosen to make this great building the focal point of Nesfield's great vistas- and Burton's Broad Walk. The Palm House was created specifically for the exotic palms being collected and introduced to Europe in early Victorian times. The elegant design with its unobstructed space for the spreading crowns of the tall palms was a perfect marriage of form and function.
Kew Gardens has continued to evolve, and since the 1990s has focused its efforts on the conservation of plant species around the world. Its Millennium Seed Bank has the aim of conserving not only seeds from all native British plants, but also another 24,000 species from around the globe. These are being preserved as a genetic bank, like a plant genome project, for future generations. In 2009 alone, Kew's botanists discovered and described over 250 new species. This year, Kew Gardens is participating in the United Nations' 2010 Year of Biodiversity with festivals and other special events to celebrate Kew's role in plant conservation.
Reference: Website of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Photos and text © 2010 Linda Shiue
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Comments
Lucy
Lucy: yes. We were just there a few weeks ago. Despite the rain and chill, a day frolicking in the gardens was just what the kids needed after the dense crowds in London. You know, to run like dogs. The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park is I think modeled after Palm House, but dare I say, even more beautiful architecturally. I love greenhouses too-- the warmth and the scent.
Hate to say it... but the weather has been absolutely stunning this week. Wednesday or Thursday it was warmer in London than in the Mediterranean!
I'm not really a "garden" person, but your post has made me think I might make a visit.
Catherine- thanks!
http://open.salon.com/blog/designanator/2009/02/03/28_days_of_flowers_gardens_and_parks_day_3
My grandfather had told me a fascinating story about how Kew Gardens had been involved in growing rubber trees and Wikipedia had an entry about that:
"South America remained the main source of the limited amounts of latex rubber that were used during much of the 19th century. However in 1876, Henry Wickham gathered thousands of para rubber tree seeds from Brazil, and these were germinated in Kew Gardens, UK. The seedlings were then sent to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Singapore and British Malaya."