Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens is a famous botanic garden in southwest London. It is home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of plants and fungi in the world. Founded in 1759, it now cares for around 27,000 different types of plants and has over 8.5 million preserved specimens.

The gardens cover an area of 132 hectares (330 acres) and include beautiful gardens and special botanical glasshouses. Many buildings and structures at Kew Gardens are protected because of their historical importance.

Kew Gardens is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a research and learning center that helps people all over the world understand plants better. It is also a popular place for visitors and a World Heritage Site.

History

Kew Gardens started in 1759 from a small garden at Kew Park. Over time, it grew into one of the world's biggest and most important places for plants and fungi. Many royal families lived nearby, which helped shape the gardens. Famous structures like the Great Pagoda and the Palm House were built there.

The gardens became a national botanical garden in 1840. They now cover a large area and include special glasshouses like the Temperate House, which is the largest from the Victorian era. In 2003, UNESCO named Kew Gardens a World Heritage Site. Some trees there, known as the 'Five Lions,' have been growing since the gardens began.

Features

Treetop walkway

A canopy walkway opened in 2008. It takes visitors on a 200 metres walk 18 metres above the ground in a woodland glade. Visitors can use stairs and a lift to go up and down. The walkway floor is made of perforated metal and moves with the wind. It was designed by David Marks.

The accompanying photograph shows part of the walkway, including steel supports designed to look like trees.

Lake Crossing

The Lake Crossing bridge, made of granite and bronze, opened in May 2006. Designed by Buro Happold and John Pawson, it crosses a lake. The bridge has a sweeping double curve of black granite, with bronze sides that sometimes look like a solid wall and sometimes show the water beyond.

The bridge is part of a path that encourages visitors to explore more of the gardens. It connects two art galleries through several garden areas to the Minka House and the Bamboo Garden.

The crossing won a special award from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2008.

The Hive

The Hive opened in 2016. It is a multi-sensory experience designed to show the life of bees. Standing 17 metres tall, it is set in a wildflower meadow. The Hive was designed by artist Wolfgang Buttress using thousands of aluminium pieces shaped like a honeycomb. It was initially a temporary exhibition but became permanent due to its popularity.

Vehicular tour

Kew Explorer is a service that takes a circular route around the gardens. It uses two 72-seater electric road trains. The driver gives a commentary, and there are several stops.

A map of the gardens is available on the Kew Gardens website.

Compost heap

Kew has one of the largest compost heaps in Europe. It is made from green and woody waste from the gardens and manure from the stables of the Household Cavalry. The compost is mainly used in the gardens but has sometimes been auctioned to raise funds for the gardens.

The compost heap is in an area not open to the public, but a viewing platform allows visitors to watch it go through its cycle.

Guided walks

Trained volunteers lead tours of the gardens daily.

Plant houses

Alpine House

In March 2006, the Davies Alpine House opened. It is the third version of an alpine house since 1887. Although only 16 metres long, the roof arch reaches 10 metres high to allow natural airflow for ventilation. The house has automatically operated blinds to prevent overheating and a system that blows cool air over the plants. The glass lets in 90 per cent of ultraviolet light. The house is designed so the maximum temperature does not exceed 20 °C.

Kew’s collection of alpine plants extends to over 7,000, but the Alpine House can only hold around 200 at a time, so the plants on show are regularly rotated.

Nash Conservatory

Originally designed for Buckingham Palace, this building was moved to Kew in 1836 by King William IV. It was formerly known as the Aroid House No. 1 and was used to display certain plants. With plenty of natural light, the building is now used for exhibitions, weddings, and private events. It also displays winners of the photography competition.

Orangery

The Orangery was designed by Sir William Chambers and completed in 1761. It measures 28 by 10 metres. It was too dark for its original purpose of growing citrus plants, which were moved out in 1841. After many changes, it is now used as a restaurant.

Palm House

The Palm House was built between 1844 and 1848 by Decimus Burton and Richard Turner. It follows glass house design principles developed by John Claudius Loudon and Joseph Paxton. The central nave is 19 metres high, with a walkway at 9 metres height, allowing visitors to see the palm tree crowns. In front of the Palm House are ten statues known as the Queen’s Beasts.

The Palm House was originally heated by coal-fired boilers, with a tall chimney. Coal was brought in by a light railway running in a tunnel. The tunnel is now used to carry hot water to the Palm House from oil-fired boilers.

Princess of Wales Conservatory

The Princess of Wales Conservatory opened in 1987. It was designed by architect Gordon Wilson and opened by Diana, Princess of Wales. It replaced 26 smaller buildings. The conservatory has ten computer-controlled zones for different climates, with many orchids, water lilies, cacti, and other plants. The conservatory covers 4,499 square metres and is designed to use energy efficiently. A time capsule buried during construction contains seeds of important plants and conservation publications.

The Temperate House

The Temperate House reopened in May 2018 after restoration. It is a greenhouse with twice the floor area of the Palm House and is the world’s largest surviving Victorian glass structure. It contains plants and trees from temperate regions worldwide, some of which are extremely rare. Designed by Decimus Burton and Richard Turner, it took 40 years to build. A viewing gallery in the central section allows visitors to look down on part of the collection.

Waterlily House

The Waterlily House is the hottest and most humid house at Kew. It contains a large pond with varieties of water lily, surrounded by plants that need heat. It closes in winter because the waterlilies struggle with less daylight. The house was built to house Victoria amazonica, the largest known water lily species at the time. The ironwork was provided by Richard Turner, and the house was completed in 1852.

In November 2025, the Waterlily House closed for renovation as part of the Palm House restoration project, aiming to reopen in 2027.

The Davies Exploration House

Originally known as the Australian House, this house was a gift from the Australian Government. It was designed by S L Rothwell with consultant engineer J E Temple and built by the Crittall Manufacturing Company Ltd. It opened in 1952. From 1995 to 2018, it was known as the Evolution House.

Bonsai House

The Bonsai House displays Kew’s bonsai collection, which has around eighty specimens. Some of the trees are small, only 10 centimetres tall, and the oldest is around 200 years old.

Former plant houses

The following plant houses were in use in 1974 but have since been demolished.

The Aroid House is now the Nash Conservatory, and the Water Lily House was Plant House No. 15.

Ornamental buildings

Great Pagoda

In the southeast corner of Kew Gardens stands the Great Pagoda, erected in 1762 by Sir William Chambers. The lowest of its ten octagonal storeys is 15 metres in diameter, and the whole structure is 50 metres tall. Each storey has a projecting roof, originally covered with ceramic tiles and adorned with dragons. The walls are made of brick, and the staircase has 253 steps. During the Second World War, holes were cut in each floor for testing model bombs.

The Pagoda was closed for many years but reopened for summer months in 2006. It has since undergone major restoration and reopened in 2018. Eighty dragons have been remade and now sit on each storey.

Japanese Gateway (Chokushi-Mon)

Built for the Japan-British Exhibition in 1910 and moved to Kew in 1911, the Chokushi-Mon is a four-fifths scale replica of a gateway in Kyoto. It lies north of the Pagoda and is surrounded by a traditional Japanese garden.

Minka House

Following the Japan 2001 festival, Kew acquired a Japanese wooden house called a minka. It was originally built around 1900 in an Okazaki suburb and is now located in the bamboo collection. Japanese craftsmen reassembled the framework, and British builders added mud wall panels.

Work on the house started on 7 May 2001, and a Japanese ceremony marked the completion of the framework on 21 May. Building was finished in November 2001, but internal artifacts were not all in place until 2006.

Queen Charlotte's Cottage

Within the conservation area is a cottage built before 1771 for Queen Charlotte by her husband George III. It has been restored by Historic Royal Palaces and is open to the public on weekends and bank holidays during the summer.

King William's Temple

A double porticoed Doric temple in stone with cast-iron panels inside walls commemorating British military victories from Minden (1759) to Waterloo (1815). It was built in 1837 by Sir Jeffery Wyatville and originally called The Pantheon. It is Grade II listed.

Temple of Aeolus

A domed rotunda with eight Tuscan columns. The original temple was built in 1763 by Sir William Chambers. The present temple is an 1845 replacement by Decimus Burton. It is Grade II listed.

Temple of Arethusa

A small Greek temple portico with two Ionic columns and two outer Ionic pillars. It was built in 1758 by Sir William Chambers and is Grade II listed.

Temple of Bellona

A whitewashed stucco temple with a portico of two pairs of Doric columns and an oval dome inside. It was built in 1760 by Sir William Chambers and is Grade II listed.

The Ruined Arch

A brick arch with rustication in stucco. It was built in 1759–60 by Sir William Chambers and is Grade II* listed.

Ice House

The Ice House is believed to be from the early 18th century. It has a brick dome with an access arch and barrel-vaulted passageway, covered by a mound of earth. It is Grade II listed.

Temple of the Sun

Formerly located near the Orangery, this temple was designed by Sir William Chambers in 1761 and was destroyed by a falling tree in a storm in March 1916.

Kew Palace

Kew Palace is the smallest of the British royal palaces. It was built by Samuel Fortrey, a Dutch merchant, around 1631. It was later purchased by George III. The construction method is known as Flemish bond. To the rear of the building is the Queen's Garden, which includes plants believed to have medicinal qualities.

The building underwent significant restoration and reopened to the public in 2006. It is administered separately from Kew Gardens by Historic Royal Palaces.

In front of the palace is a sundial given to Kew Gardens in 1959 to commemorate a royal visit. It was sculpted by Martin Holden and is a replica of one by Thomas Tompion, a celebrated 17th-century clockmaker.

Galleries and museums

Admission to the galleries and museum is free after paying admission to the gardens. The International Garden Photographer of the Year Exhibition is an annual event with an indoor display of entries during the summer months.

Shirley Sherwood Gallery

The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanic Art opened in April 2008. It holds paintings from Kew’s and Dr Shirley Sherwood’s collections, many of which had never been displayed before. It features paintings by artists such as Georg D. Ehret, the Bauer brothers, Pierre-Joseph Redouté, and Walter Hood Fitch. The paintings and drawings are changed every six months. The gallery is linked to the Marianne North Gallery.

Museum No. 1

Near the Palm House is a building known as the General Museum or Museum No. 1, designed by Decimus Burton and opened in 1857. It houses Kew’s economic botany collections, including tools, ornaments, clothing, food, and medicines. The upper two floors are now an education center, and the ground floor houses The Botanical restaurant. Kew is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine group.

Marianne North Gallery

The Marianne North Gallery was built in the 1880s to house the paintings of Marianne North. She travelled alone to many parts of the world to paint plants. The gallery has 832 of her paintings and was the only permanent exhibition in Great Britain dedicated to the work of one woman until it closed for restoration from 2008 to 2009. It reopened in October 2009.

Museums and administration buildings

The School of Horticulture building was formerly known as the Reference Museum or Museum No. 2.

Museum No. 3 was originally known as the Timber Museum; it opened in 1863 and closed in 1958.

Cambridge Cottage is a former residence of the Duke of Cambridge. It became part of the gardens in 1904 and opened in 1910 as the Museum of British Forestry or Museum No. 4. After 1958, it was known as the Wood Museum and displayed wood samples from around the world. Today it is a meeting and function venue.

Exhibitions

In 2007-08, 28 large bronzes by Henry Moore were exhibited throughout the gardens.

In 2017, Rebecca Louise Law displayed around 375,000 preserved plants and flowers in the Life In Death exhibition.

Dale Chihuly hosted the exhibition Reflection on Nature in 2019, with 30 sculptures displayed in the gardens, and an evening event.

Exhibitions at the Shirley Sherwood gallery have included: Zadok Ben-David: Natural Reserve by Jan Hendrix, 2021–22; Elegant and Enchanting, the habitats and flora of Japan, China, and Thailand, 2021–22; The Wonderful World of Water Plants, 2023; Young Botanical Artist Competition, 2023–24; Light into Life by Shirley Sherwood and Marc Quinn, 2024; Botanical Blues by Felicity Aylieff, 2025; The Power of Trees, 2025; A Celebration of India's Rich Biodiversity, 2025–26.

The largest ever exhibition of Henry Moore sculptures, paintings, and prints is being displayed at Kew Gardens between 2026 and the end of January 2027. The exhibition is called Monumental Nature.

Science

Plant collections

Kew Gardens has many special collections of living plants. These include gardens for alpine and rock plants, water plants, trees, dry-climate plants, orchids, palms, and grasses. The Aquatic Garden, near the Jodrell laboratory, has a big pool for water lilies and smaller pools for other water plants. The Bonsai trees are kept in a special greenhouse. The dry-climate plants, including cacti, are in several warm houses. The Carnivorous Plant collection is in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. The Grass Garden shows many kinds of grasses. The Orchid Collection changes often so visitors can see flowering plants. The Rock Garden has many different plants from around the world.

Herbarium

Main article: Kew Herbarium

The Kew Herbarium is one of the largest in the world, with about 7 million pressed plant specimens. These help scientists study plants from all over the world, especially from tropical areas. The herbarium gets about 30,000 new specimens each year from work with scientists around the world. Many of these specimens have been turned into digital images and can be seen online by anyone. The herbarium’s special code is K, used when scientists talk about specimens kept there.

Kew Gardens also has a collection of dried fungi specimens, a bank of plant DNA, and a seed bank. The fungarium holds around 1.25 million dried fungus samples.

Library and Archives

The Library & Archives at Kew have over half a million items, including books, drawings, photos, letters, and maps about plants. These collections are kept in the Herbarium building. An agreement from 1962 means the collection does not repeat items from the Natural History Museum in London, which focuses on plants from Europe and North America.

Forensic horticulture

Kew helps police forces around the world by studying plant material that might be important clues in investigations. For example, scientists at Kew once helped identify a very toxic African bean that was found in the stomach of a person whose body was discovered in the River Thames.

Economic Botany

The Sustainable Uses of Plants Group studies how plants are used in the United Kingdom and in dry areas of the world. This group looks after a big collection of plant materials and cultural objects, some of which were shown in an exhibit called Plants + People until 2016. The group is now based in the Jodrell Laboratory.

Jodrell Laboratory

The Jodrell Laboratory was named after a supporter of science, Thomas J. Phillips Jodrell. It was set up in 1876 by Kew’s Director Joseph Dalton Hooker and his helper William Turner Thiselton-Dyer. It was one of the first labs in the world not connected to a university. The lab has been expanded several times, with a major addition called the Wolfson Wing added in 2006.

Many famous scientists have worked at the Jodrell Laboratory, including Dukinfield Henry Scott, who was Assistant Keeper from 1892 to 1906. Other researchers included botanists, cell biologists, marine biologists, physiologists, and fossil plant experts.

The Jodrell Laboratory has helped start other important research places, such as the Laboratory of Plant Pathology in Harpenden in 1920, the Imperial Bureau of Mycology in Kew in 1930, and the Millennium Seed Bank, which moved to Kew’s Wakehurst Place in 1993.

Achievements

In 2009, scientists at Kew Gardens saved the world’s smallest water-lily, Nymphaea thermarum, by growing it from seed. In 2022, they discovered a new kind of Victoria waterlily called Victoria boliviana that had been growing at the Gardens for over 170 years.

Other features

Kew Gardens has its own small police team called the Kew Constabulary. They help keep the gardens safe and follow special rules from an old law.

There are places to eat and drink at Kew, such as The Orangery and the Pavilion Bar and Grill.

In 2024, a new building called the Irrigation Pump House was built. It helps water the gardens and looks like a fallen leaf from above. It stores a lot of water underground to help keep the plants healthy.

Main article: Kew Constabulary

Media

Kew Gardens has been featured in many films, documentaries, and other media. In 1942, a short color film called World Garden was made by cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth. A popular documentary titled A Year at Kew was released in 2005, showing life behind the scenes at the gardens. This was followed by three more series of A Year at Kew in 2007.

Other notable productions include a 2009 BBC documentary called Cruickshank on Kew: The Garden That Changed the World, presented by Dan Cruickshank, which explores Kew Gardens' history. In 2012, David Attenborough created Kingdom of Plants 3D. The video game Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments from 2014 also features an episode called "The Kew Gardens Drama" centered around a mysterious event in the building. Additionally, author Virginia Woolf wrote a short story named "Kew Gardens" in 1921, describing scenes of people walking by a flowerbed.

Access and transport

Kew Gardens has four gates open to visitors: the Elizabeth Gate at the west end of Kew Green, the Brentford Gate near the River Thames, the Victoria Gate (named after Queen Victoria) on Kew Road, and the Lion Gate, also on Kew Road.

The closest train station is Kew Gardens station, which opened in 1869 and offers London Underground and London Overground services. There are also bus stops nearby and a pier for river services in the summer. Cycle racks are available at some entrances, and there is a car park outside the Brentford Gate.