On the outskirts of London is a tourist attraction that not everyone knows about. This is a magnificent complex consisting of several gardens, which was called the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. It covers an area of almost 135 hectares.
History
Royal Kew Botanical Gardens (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 put their hands on its creation, which influenced the final result.
It’s rather difficult to understand the history of this garden - each owner has left a bright mark in its development. King James I decided to build on these lands, where the Oleniy Park today is located, a very modest hunting lodge. His brother-in-law invited the gardener George London to plant a garden around this building. Later, the house and, of course, the garden were replaced by several owners. At first, the duke Ormond became his master, then he sold the estate to the Prince of Wales, the future king. Princess Carolina was very interested in gardening and hired C. Bridgman, who set up 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 what the Royal Botanic Gardens in London occupy today.
In 1678, a certain Mr. Capel settled in the neighborhood with the royal family. In his garden, he collected the best fruiting trees that had grown at that time in England. His house, which he called Bely, eventually also became part of the Welsh family.
The prince became the owner of the estate. He added a lot of exotic plants. His wife Augusta also loved gardens, so she willingly helped her husband. Unfortunately, the prince soon died of pleurisy, getting wet in the rain.
Augusta continued the work he had begun. Thanks to her efforts, beautiful architectural structures were erected. Historians claim that there were 25 of them. Only the conservatory, the temple of Bellona, the temple of Arethusa, the Chinese pagoda and the arch have survived.
Gardens in the 18th Century
In 1760, Capebility Brown, the royal gardener, began work in the gardens. He called all the buildings erected by his predecessor barbaric, and therefore ruthlessly destroyed them.
After the death of the princess, King George III and his family wished to live on the estate. The Royal Kew Botanical Gardens, the photo you see in our article, was taken under his protection by Joseph Banks, a friend of the king. 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 career at this post, Banks organized several scientific expeditions to collect plants in all corners of the world. During this time, the garden collection has expanded significantly.
Since 1865, the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London became state property. William Hooker was appointed director, and when he was gone, 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 Earth later became widespread around the world - for example, Brazilian rubber plants were brought from the garden to Malaysia, and the famous Chinese tea came to India.
The modern history of the garden
In the 20th century, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (a suburb of London) expanded significantly. Many new buildings were built. Today, the garden is visited by more than a million people a year. Nowadays, the nature conservation function of the complex has come to the fore - in the garden there are many very rare and sometimes endangered plant species.
Description of the complex
The 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 for botanical research.
On its territory there are scientific laboratories, an exhibition of herbariums, repositories, a huge botanical library. In winter, all visitors can have fun here, riding on an outdoor ice rink. Today, new structures are being built on the territory of the complex. In 2006, an alpine house appeared here - a very lightweight construction made of glass and metal.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Gardens can be without exaggeration called the most beautiful park in the English capital. It presents the most complete collection of plants in the world. Come to the Royal Kew Gardens, but “arm yourself” with a camera or camera.
This is a unique landscape and architectural complex, which has been carefully thought through over the past two centuries.
sights
The most popular attractions of the Royal Garden are Kew Palace, Big Pagoda, Minka, Davis Alpine House, Risotron Multimedia Gallery, Queen Charlotte's Cottage, Water Lily House, Shirley Shirwood Gallery.
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens pay tribute to the culture of Japan. First of all, this is the Japanese gate, which accurately reproduce the architecture of the Shinto temple. This is a wooden house transported from Japan in 2001, which has already survived its hundredth birthday.
Kew Gardens in London, photos of which are published by all travel companies in their booklets, have three huge greenhouses - the Palm Greenhouse, the Temperate Greenhouse and the Princess of Wales Greenhouse. Each of them has unique characteristics and its own exposure.
Greenhouses
You already know that there are three greenhouses in Kew Gardens - the Princess of Wales Orangery, the Palm House, which was created under Queen Victoria (in 1848). Glass greenhouse, which was a huge rarity for the time when it was created. Here tropical exotic plants feel comfortable. A temperate home with rhododendrons, tea trees, and a Chilean wine palm, the pride of the greenhouse. Plants were planted about a century and a half ago.
The youngest and most modern is the Princess Greenhouse. Here everyone can see the huge size of a water lily that was once brought from the Amazon, as well as the largest flower in the world with a strong aroma - Titan Arum.
Playground
For young visitors, a botanical site has been created here. It is called "Creepers and Creepers." The employees of the Botanical Garden regularly hold thematic events, exciting excursions. A detailed plan of upcoming events can be found on the website of this institution.
From Victoria Gate, through which you enter the garden, you can drive along Kew Gardens on a fun tourist tram. This trip is a great pleasure for the kids. The fare is 3.5 pounds.
The secret of popularity
There are many interesting natural monuments in the world that deserve our attention. But why don't the Royal Kew Botanical Gardens lose their popularity? Perhaps the answer to this question lies in a huge collection of plants that create an unusual landscape. To view the place for the garden is ideally chosen - it 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, the Botanical Library is of great interest, where, in addition to interesting non-fiction literature, you can see the herbarium with five million plant species. You can visit a cute kindergarten with a bridge over the stream in the Garden of Solitude. Everyone can expand their botanical knowledge here by getting acquainted with the cocoa tree, rubber tree, papaya, mango, durian and many other plants. That's probably all the secrets that make the Royal Gardens so popular.