On the outskirts of London there is a landmark that not everyone knows about. This is a magnificent complex, consisting of several gardens, which is called the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It covers an area of almost 135 hectares.
History
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Great Britain) is not the oldest and largest garden in the world, but it has its own very interesting history and unusually beautiful landscape. Many people had a hand in its creation, which influenced the final result.
It is rather difficult to understand the history of this garden - each owner left his own bright mark on its development. King James I decided to build on these lands, where today the Deer Park is located, a very modest hunting lodge. His son-in-law invited gardener George London to build a garden around the building. Later, the house and, of course, the garden changed several owners. At first, the Duke of Ormond became its owner, then he sold the estate to the Prince of Wales, the future king. Princess Caroline became very interested in gardening and hired C. Bridgman, who laid out a completely new and luxurious garden (1725). Over time, the estate began to occupy a vast territory - 162 hectares. This is even more territory than what the Royal Botanic Gardens in London occupy today.
In 1678, a certain Mr. Capel settled in the neighborhood of the royal family. In his garden, he collected the best fruit-bearing trees that grew at that time in England. His house, which he called White, eventually became part of the Welsh family.
The prince became the owner of the estate. He added many exotic plants. His wife Augusta also loved gardens, so she willingly helped her husband. Unfortunately, the prince soon died of pleurisy after getting wet in the rain.
Augusta continued the work he started. Thanks to her efforts, beautiful architectural structures were erected. Historians claim that there were 25 of them. Only the greenhouse, Bellona temple, Arethusa temple, Chinese pagoda and arch have survived to this day.
Gardens in the 18th century
In 1760, Capeability Brown, the royal gardener, began to 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 in the estate. The Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, the photo you see in our article, was taken under the patronage of 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 tenure, Banks organized several scientific expeditions to collect plants in all corners of the world. During this time, the garden's collection has expanded significantly.
Since 1865, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London, have become the property of the state. William Hooker was appointed director, and when he died, his son, Joseph, succeeded him. These people have made a huge contribution to the development of the garden. It is curious that plants that were brought here from different parts of the Earth later spread around the world - for example, Brazilian rubber plants were brought from the garden to Malaysia, and the famous Chinese tea came to India.
Modern garden history
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 a million people a year. Nowadays, the nature protection function of the complex has come to the fore - there are many very rare and sometimes endangered plant species in the garden.
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 for botanical research.
On its territory there are scientific laboratories, an exhibitionherbariums, storages, a huge botanical library. In winter, all visitors can have plenty of fun here, skating on the outdoor skating rink. New structures are being built on the territory of the complex today. In 2006, an alpine house appeared here - a very light structure made of glass and metal.
Royal Botanical Garden Kew Gardens can be called without exaggeration the most beautiful park in the English capital. It contains the most complete collection of plants in the world. Come to the Royal Gardens of Kew, but "arm yourself" with a camera or a camera.
This is a unique landscape and architectural complex, which has been carefully thought out over the past two centuries.
Attractions
King's Garden's most popular attractions are Kew Palace, Grand Pagoda, Minka, Davis Alpine House, Rhizotron Multimedia Gallery, Queen Charlotte's Cottage, Water Lily House, Shirley Shearwood Gallery.
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens pays tribute to the culture of Japan. First of all, these are the Japanese gates, which accurately reproduce the architecture of a Shinto shrine. This includes a wooden house transported from Japan in 2001, which has already experienced its 100th birthday.
Kew Gardens in London, which is published by all tourist companies in their brochures, has three huge greenhouses - the Palm Greenhouse, the Temperate Greenhouse and the Princess of Wales Greenhouse. Each of them has unique characteristics andexposure.
Greenhouses
You already know that there are three greenhouses in Kew Gardens - the Princess of Wales Orangery, House of Palms, which was established in the reign of Queen Victoria (in 1848). A glass greenhouse, which was a huge rarity for the time when it was created. Tropical exotic plants feel comfortable here. The temperate house, where rhododendrons, tea trees and the Chilean wine palm grow, is the pride of the greenhouse. The plants were planted about a century and a half ago.
The youngest and most modern is the Princess Greenhouse. Here everyone can see a huge water lily, which 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 playground has been created here. It is called "Creepers and Creeps". The employees of the botanical garden regularly hold thematic events and exciting excursions. A detailed plan of upcoming events can be found on the website of this institution.
From the Victoria Gate, which you enter the garden, you can drive through Kew Gardens on a funny tourist tram. The kids have a lot of fun with this trip. The fare is £3.5.
The secret of popularity
There are many interesting natural monuments in the world that deserve our attention. But why are the RoyalKew Botanic Gardens are not losing their popularity? Perhaps the answer to this question lies in the huge collection of plants that create an extraordinary landscape. For viewing, 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 popular science literature, you can see a herbarium with five million plant species. You can visit a cute garden with a bridge over a 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.
