Kew and Kew Gardens

We entered Kew Gardens via the ‘Elizabeth Gate’, appropriate I thought.  We had a 20% off voucher but it still cost us £23 entrance.  No wonder locals become Friends of Kew.  It is a lovely place to spend time and many locals stroll through.  Kew Gardens 700 acres of gardens across two sites and we walked many of those acres.  We started with a plan but soon became distracted by lots of little secret pockets and things to see.  Near the entrance was a wildflower meadow with native orchids throughout.  I found a specimen of our own ‘Woolemi Pine’, carefully encaged from predation.  However, this was the first one they had captured, and they now have colonies spread throughout the gardens, and even sell them in the garden shop. Their captive breeding programme has worked and they are flourishing here.

We spent time visiting Kew Palace, gardens and kitchens.  This is where George III and his family lived through his illnesses.  There was a parterre garden behind the house and the Queen’s Garden was lovely.  It backs onto the Thames.

Back of Kew Palace with Parterre Garden in foreground

Front of Kew Palace

I think you need several days to see Kew properly.  We toured through the Palm House, one of many very humid glasshouses, and spotted many familiar tropical plants.  An extensive rose garden is found to one side of the Palm House and the perfume emanating for these was glorious.  There is a long table on the terrace with illustrated plates and pots filled with herbs growing out of them.  A little whimsy made everyone smile. The Temperate House is being refurbished at the cost of many millions.  All the plants are being lifted, trimmed and regenerated with many already in pots.  The actual glasshouse really needs refurbishment and repair.  A tall Pagoda stands out in the landscape, but up close it could do with a coat of paint.

Tree top walk

We lunched at the Pavilion restaurant sitting under an arbour of grape vines, with a pretty spotted chicken strutting around, and a peacock looking for attention displaying himself.

As a break from the gardens, we checked out the Marianne North Gallery.  Marianne North was an intrepid, 19^th century painter who visited 14 countries in 11 years, painting mostly botanical works but also birds, animals and landscapes.  The gallery consists of two large rooms, filled ceiling to floor and wall to wall with paintings by Marianne North.  It is a bit confronting but awe inspiring.  Beside this gallery was the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art.  The main exhibition of a botanical artist called Rory McEuan, featured several exquisite paintings of tulips which were commissioned for a book called Tulipomania.

Our favourite part of the gardens was the Alpine Garden.  The little plants were all in flower and were so delicate and pretty. 

Inside Alpine Garden

Double poppies

Near to this area was the Princess of Wales Conservatory, a huge collection of a glasshouse rooms filled with tropical plants.  It was a very impressive modern structure.

Princess of Wales Conservatory

After exiting the gardens through the Elizabeth Gate, we wandered down to the Thames and walked along the tow path then back to our hotel.  St Anne’s Church at Kew is opposite the hotel.  It was patronised by the royal family when at Kew and is notable as being the resting place of Thomas Gainsborough.  We located his very unprepossessing grave along the side of the church.  Not one that people would make a pilgrimage to see.

After a long day and night, I was asleep by 6 p.m. and slept 7 hours straight, which meant that I was awake at 1 a.m.!  I read for a while and managed to get back to sleep for an hour or so before dawn.