Royal Kew Botanical Gardens in London

On the outskirts of London is a tourist attraction, of which not everyone knows. This is a magnificent complex consisting of several gardens, which was named the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew. It covers an area of almost 135 hectares.

History

The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew (UK) is not the oldest and not the largest garden in the world, but it has its own very interesting history and unusually beautiful landscape. Many people contributed to its creation, which influenced the final result.

In the history of this garden is difficult to understand - every owner left his bright trace in his development. King Yakov I decided to build on these lands, where the Deer Park today is located, a very modest hunting lodge. His son-in-law invited the gardener George London to smash the garden around this structure. Later the house and, of course, the garden was replaced by several owners. In the beginning, the Duke of Ormond became its master; then he sold the estate to the Prince of Wales, the future king. Princess Caroline was very keen on gardening and hired C. Bridgman, who broke a completely new and luxurious garden (1725). Over time, the estate began to occupy a vast territory - 162 hectares. This is even a larger area than the one the Royal Botanic Gardens in London occupy today.

In 1678, in the neighborhood of the royal family settled a certain Mr. Cape. In his garden he collected the best fruit bearing trees that grew up in England at the time. His house, which he called White, eventually became part of the Welsh family's possessions.

The owner of the estate was the prince. He added many exotic plants. His wife Augusta also loved the gardens, so she willingly helped her husband. Unfortunately, the prince soon died of pleurisy, wet in the rain.

Augusta continued the work begun by him. Thanks to her efforts, beautiful architectural structures were erected . Historians claim that they were 25. Until now, only a greenhouse, the Bellona temple, the Arethuza temple, the Chinese pagoda and the arch have been preserved.

Gardens in the 18th century

In 1760, Kapebelity Brown, the royal gardener, began to work in the gardens. He called barbaric all the buildings erected by his predecessor, and therefore ruthlessly destroyed them.

After the death of the princess on the estate, King George III wished to live with his family. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the photo you see in our article, took under his patronage Joseph Banks - the King's friend. He played a big role in the history of this complex. In fact, he was the first director of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

During his time in this post, Benks organized several scientific expeditions to collect plants in all corners of the world. During this time, the garden collection has expanded considerably.

Since 1865, the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew in London have become the property of the state. The director appointed William Hooker, and when he died, he was succeeded by his son - Joseph. These people have made a huge contribution to the development of the garden. It is curious that the plants that were brought here from different parts of the world later spread throughout the world - for example, Brazilian rubber plants were brought from the garden to Malaysia, and the famous Chinese tea came to India.

Modern history of the garden

In the 20th century, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (a suburb of London) expanded significantly. Many new buildings were built. Today the garden is visited by more than one million people a year. Nowadays, the conservation function of the complex has come to the fore - in the garden there are a lot of very rare, and sometimes endangered, plant species.

Description of the complex

Royal Botanic Gardens in London, photos of which can often be seen in the English press, do not need advertising to attract tourists. Nowadays this amazing complex has become the largest European center of botanical research.

On its territory are scientific laboratories, an exhibition of herbariums, storage facilities, a huge botanical library. In winter, all visitors can have a lot of fun here, skating on an open skating rink. New buildings are being built on the territory of the complex. In 2006, an alpine house appeared here - a very light construction made of glass and metal.

The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew Gardens can be called, without exaggeration, the most beautiful park in the English capital. It presents the most complete collection of plants in the world. Come to the Royal Gardens of Kew, but "arm" with a camera or camera.

This is a unique landscape-architectural complex, which has been carefully thought through during the last two centuries.

sights

The most popular attractions of the Royal Garden are the Kew Palace, the Great Pagoda, Minka, the Davis Alpine Lodge, the Rizotron Multimedia Gallery, the Queen Charlotte Cottage, the Waterlily House, Shirley Shirwood Gallery.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew pays tribute to the culture of Japan. First of all, this is the Japanese Gate, which accurately reproduces the architecture of the Shinto temple. This is the wooden house transported in 2001 from Japan, which has already survived the hundredth birthday.

Kew Gardens in London, photos of which are published by all travel companies in their booklets, have three huge greenhouses - Palm Greenhouse, Temperate Climate Greenhouse and Princess of Wales Greenhouse. Each of them has unique characteristics and its exposition.

Greenhouses

You already know that in Kew Gardens there are three greenhouses - the Princess of Wales Greenhouse, the Palm House, which was created under Queen Victoria (in 1848). Glass orangery, which was a huge rarity for the time when it was created. Tropical exotic plants feel comfortable here. A temperate climate house with rhododendrons, tea trees and a Chilean wine palm is the pride of the greenhouse. Plants were planted about one and a half centuries ago.

The youngest and most modern is the Princess Greenhouse. Here, everyone can see the huge water lily that was once brought from the Amazon, as well as the largest flower in the world, with a strong flavor - Titan Arum.

Playground

For small visitors, a botanical site was created here. It is called "Lianas and Creeping Plants". The employees of the Botanical Garden regularly hold themed events, fascinating excursions. A detailed plan of the nearest events can be found on the site of this institution.

From the gate of Victoria Gate, through which you enter the garden, you can drive along the Kew Gardens on a fun tourist tram. This trip is a great pleasure for the children. The fare is 3.5 pounds.

The secret of popularity

In the world there are many interesting natural monuments that deserve our attention. But why does the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew not lose their popularity? Perhaps the answer to this question lies in the huge collection of plants that create an extraordinary landscape. To view the place for the garden is chosen perfectly - this is a plain on the banks of the River Thames. This is a true paradise with 30 thousand plants and original architectural structures that complement the landscape. For many tourists of great interest is the Botanical Library, where, in addition to interesting popular science literature, you can see a herbarium with five million plant species. You can visit the pretty garden with the bridge overturned, through the creek to the Retreat Garden. Everyone can expand their botanical knowledge here by getting acquainted with the cocoa tree, rubber tree, papaya, mango, durian and many other plants. Here, probably, and all the secrets that make the Royal Gardens so popular.