The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London grows more species in its 121 hectares than any other garden in the world and has a long and distinguished history. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these magnificent London gardens, glasshouses and galleries are a living exhibit as well as an important historical legacy.
Three hundred acres of botanical delights grace Kew Gardens, which lies on the south bank of the Thames River between Richmond and Kew in the suburbs of south-west London. If you’re a stickler for accuracy you might like to note that the proper way to refer to Kew is in the plural, i.e. Kew Gardens, not Kew Garden. This is due to the fact that centuries ago there were two estates here, Kew Estate and Richmond Estate. These estates were combined to form the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Kew Gardens modern history really begins in the century when Henry VII moved his court to Richmond Palace in the summer months and nearby Kew village flourished. Since 1840 Kew Park has been open to the public and is without a doubt the most impressive London garden.
The gardens are “Royal” because for many years the estates that now form the gardens were owned by members of Britain’s royal family. King George II and Queen Caroline lived at Ormonde Lodge, on the Richmond estate. Their son and heir, Prince Frederick, leased the neighboring Kew estate in the 1730s.
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Photo/s originally uploaded by Fhaye
Tagged with canon, England, Flowers, landscape pictures, Nature Photos, photography, Plants.
Karen Funk Blocher on June 5th, 2010
Oh, lovely! I’ve never been there, but now I want to. That last shot is especially intriguing.
Hey, I notice that you didn’t leave a comment on the Round Robin blog to let us know you’re playing this time. Will you do me a favor and stop by to do that? We hate to miss out on adding people to the Linking List, but that’s the danger when people forget to RSVP. Thanks!