Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens

London is, first of all, traditions, culture and history. Yes, without a doubt, the capital of Great Britain is a solid attraction, a witness of past historical events, a monument of history inextricably linked with the monarchy.

Not far from London in the small town of Kew (next to Richmond) there are world-famous Royal botanical gardens.
Almost the entire flora of the globe is concentrated on a space of 3 hectares (a little more than 12 sq. km.).

Something is growing underneath open sky, and something is able to live and bloom in Britain only in the greenhouse conditions of closed galleries.

Kew Gardens website - www.kew.org

History of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

It is difficult to understand the history of the Kew Botanical Garden, each of its owners or tenants left their mark on the development of the garden.

At the beginning of the 17th century, King James I built a cozy hunting lodge on the territory of the present deer park. His son-in-law hired gardener George London to set up a small garden around the house.

Princess Caroline was very interested in gardening, so she hired Charles Bridgman, who pitched new garden until 1725. Gradually, the estate expanded its territory to 162 hectares, this is an even larger area than the territory of the current botanical garden.

In 1678 next to the possessions royal family settled Henry Capel, he gathered in his garden the best fruit trees England. His house, named White, also passed into the possession of the Welsh family.

His wife Augusta was also a lover of gardens, so she willingly engaged in gardening. The prince, unfortunately, soon died of pleurisy, because he got wet during the rain, watching the work of the gardeners. The wife willingly continued to take care of the gardens, she also took care of the construction of beautiful architectural structures in the garden.

According to some reports, there were 25 of them, only the greenhouse, the temple of Arethusa, the temple of Bellona, ​​the arch and the Chinese pagoda have survived. Kew Gardens Palace of King George III (Kew Palace)

In 1760, the royal gardener, Capeability Brown, was invited, who considered the buildings erected by his predecessor to be barbaric, as well as classic garden and ruthlessly destroyed everything.

After the death of the princess, King George III and his family settled in the estate. Horticultural work was taken over by a close friend of the king, Joseph Banks. He left a significant mark on the history of Kew, becoming practically the first director of the botanical garden. Banks organized many expeditions to collect plants in all corners of the world. During this time, the collection of plants has expanded significantly.

In 1865, the garden became state property, William Hooker was appointed its director, and subsequently his son Joseph became director. They also did a great job of improving the garden.

It is interesting that the plants brought for the garden were spread all over the world in this way: Brazilian rubber plants were brought from the garden to Malaysia, and Chinese tea to India. Kew Gardens The Palm House

tea house ( tea house) was burned in February 1913 by suffragettes Olive Warry and Lillian Lenton in a series of arson attacks in London. In October 1987, the Great Storm hit Kew Gardens, causing hundreds of trees to be uprooted and killed.

In the 20th century, the Kew Botanical Gardens greatly expanded, many new buildings were built.

Now the garden is visited by an average of up to 1 million people a year. In addition to the main cognitive and research functions, in the 21st century, the environmental function has come to the fore - there are many rare endangered plant species in the garden.

The current director is Professor Stephen D. Hopper, who replaced Professor Sir Peter Crane. "Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" is also the name of the organization that governs Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Palace Gardens in Sussex.

It is scientific and research as well as The educational center, which employs about 700 people, and the income exceeds 40 million pounds sterling per year. The gardens are sponsored by the Department Environment, food and agriculture.

Gardens in Kew now

The gardens at Kew are one of the best centers botanical research, an excellent platform for gardeners and a beautiful place for walking. In 2005, Kew hosted over 1.5 million people, a record number since 1949. Almost all are irregularly shaped, with some symmetrical parts. There are greenhouses, a herbarium, a library and a cafe. The library must be registered in advance. AT winter time here they fill the skating rink.

temperate house

This building, twice as large as the Palm House, was built later, at the end of the 19th century. This greenhouse is the largest Victorian greenhouse in the world.

A little to the right is the House of Evolution, where it is clearly shown, with the help of audio-visual effects, what kind of evolution plants have gone through. From bare stones, through gradually emerging ancient plants - lichens, mosses and ferns, alternating with dinosaur paw prints, through geysers and waterfalls, we have reached modern plants.

Herbarium and seed collections

The Kew Herbarium is considered one of the largest in the world, with a collection of over seven million species that originally served in toxic research. The herbarium contains exhibits from all over the world, most of which are tropical plants.

Kew Herbarium is in partnership with Harvard University Herbarium and the Australian National Herbarium. Together they create great source information on botanical nomenclature.

Q has a valuable collection of seeds and sponsors research activities in Sussex.

Although England is known for not very good weather conditions, which includes atmospheric pollution, dry soil and lack of moisture, Kew has the most complete collection in the country.

Library and Archives

The Kew Library and Archives has the most comprehensive collection of botanical information in the world. The Kew collection includes over 500,000 exhibits, including books, photographs, letters, newspapers, and maps. Recently, the Jodrell Library was merged with the Economic Botanical and Mycological Libraries. Today they are located in the building of the Jodrell Laboratory.

greenhouses

There are more than 30 thousand varieties of plants and trees, including tropical and aquatic species. Kew Gardens is a wonderful place to relax, where you can isolate yourself from the hustle and bustle big city. Their special significance lies in scientific work conducted by scientists in greenhouses, laboratories and outdoors.

This garden is, without exaggeration, the most beautiful park in London. The park is rightly proud of its collection of living plants, which is one of the three largest collections in the world.

Kew Garden is located on the south bank of the Thames, the area of ​​the park is more than 120 hectares. You can spend a wonderful and informative day in the park with the whole family, especially children will be happy to visit the park.

If you want to see almost all the plants of the world in one place, feel free to go to the Royal Botanic Gardens in London. This is one of the most beautiful places in this ancient city. In addition to exploring amazing plants, Kew Gardens is home to the Chambers Pagoda and the magnificent palace of King George III.

The Kew Botanic Gardens are home to over 30,000 species of plants from around the globe.

The three main greenhouses are most frequently visited.

10 climatic zones located in House of the Princess of Wales. (The Princess of Wales Conservatory) - the most modern, here you can see a giant water lily from the Amazon and the largest fragrant flower in the world Titan Arum.

Here, water lilies and palm trees, cacti and agaves, a huge aquarium with numerous fish and tree frogs, and much more are under computer supervision.

palm house(The Palm House) - built under Queen Victoria (in 1844-1848), a glass greenhouse (a rarity for that time), where tropical exoticism feels great

All types of palm trees grow nearby. A greenhouse temperate climate proud of the Chilean wine palm, which is already 150 years old. It allows you to enjoy the flowering of camellias and orchids in January, to see many tropical plants.

mesmerizing House of water lilies. It is here that the largest lily grows, which can change its color and has huge flowers and leaves (2m). The house of evolution tells about the path that hard way plants have undergone development. And very close is a cedar alley, a bamboo garden and an alley of rhododendrons, a garden of azaleas and lilacs.

On the territory of the garden are the Palace of George III and the Chambers Pagoda of the 18th century, open to tourists, but the beauty of the lawns and alpine slides, graceful flower beds and small lakes can be admired for hours.

Kew Gardens has organized a botanical playground for the little ones, which introduces children to its exposition "Creepers and creeping plants"
You can travel through the territory of Kew Gardens on a special tourist tram (Ј 3.50 = € 4.4), such a tram operates on the principle of hop-on-hop-of (jump-jump).

A day spent in the park flies by. You can visit a nice garden with a bridge thrown over the stream, in the so-called Secluded Garden. You can expand your knowledge of botany by familiarizing yourself with the rubber tree, cocoa, papaya, durian, mango and many other exotic plants.

Attractions:

Rock garden (1887) - a greenhouse with an alpine mountain climate.

The Ultra-modern Alpine House. Each plant is signed.

In the spring of 2006, the Alpinarium was opened here for the next, or rather for the third time. It was founded back in 1887. Now it is equipped with modern automatic shutters that close when the sun is strong.

Chokushi Mon

Chokushi Mon is a replica of a Japanese temple located near the Pagoda. It was founded at the beginning of the 20th century, more precisely in 1910, on the basis of Karamon (Chinese gate) Nishi Hongana-hi, located in Kyoto. There are many beautiful Japanese gardens around it.

compost pit

The Keva compost pit is considered the largest in the world; fallen leaves and waste from the stables in Cavalri are stored here. This pit is intended mainly for gardens. Although it recently participated in the auction as part of the attractions of the gardens in Kew.

Guided walks

Guided tours of the garden are organized daily with trained volunteers starting at Victoria Gate at 11 am and 2 pm.

Kew Palace(Kew Palace)

built in 1631 with the Royal Garden surrounding it, the plants in which have been preserved since the 17th century. A separate entry ticket is required.

Kew Palace is considered the smallest among the English royal palaces. Its construction in early XVII century passed under the leadership of Samuel Fortrey, a German merchant. A little later it was bought by George III. The method of its construction is called "Flemish Bond". These are bricks that are laid out alternately with either long or short sides.

Behind the palace is the "King's Garden", which has a large collection of plants, many of which have medicinal properties. In the garden there are plants that were typical for Britain in the 17th century.

In 2006 the building was thoroughly reconstructed. The palace operates independently of the garden, it is considered its main attraction. There is a separate fee for entry.

House of Mink

(Minka House) is a Japanese-style wooden house replicating a building built in 1900 in the Okazaki area. Mink's house stands in the western part of the garden area.

In 2001, the Japanese festival was held here, for which Kew staged japanese house from a tree, bearing the name minka. It was erected at the beginning of the 20th century in the suburb of Okazaki. Japanese craftsmen made the body of the building, and its British walls were made of clay.

Work on the house began in the spring of 2001. The hull was completed by May 21st and could be seen at a Japanese festival. The exterior of the building was completed in the autumn of 2001, and the interior was completed 5 years later.

Marianne North Gallery(Marianne North Gallery),

built in 1880 in honor of the artist Marianne North, the only woman to travel independently in the Americas and Asia at the time. The collection contains 832 works by the artist.

exotic flowers and plants MARYANN NORTH

It was intended for an exhibition of the work of Marianne North, who was the daughter of a member of parliament. She traveled alone to North and South America and Asia, where she painted different plants, which was an unusual job for a woman of those years. The gallery has a collection of her works, the number of which exceeds 800 exhibits. She left her works here on the condition that they remain forever in the gallery.

Museums

Not far from the Palm House there is a building called "Museum No. 1". It is designed by architect Decimus Burton. The opening of this museum took place in 1857. Having been here, you can also learn the dependence of people on plants. The Kew botanical collection is also located here, including tools, jewelry, clothing, food and medicine. In 1998 the museum was restored. On the upper floors there is a new educational center, and on the lower ones there is an exhibition "Plants and People", which has become so popular due to a large number plants and how to use them.

You can view the gallery and the museum for free if you have paid an entrance ticket to the Gardens.

Pagoda (Chinese Pagoda) (1762)

At the junction of Kew Gardens is the Great Pagoda, which was founded at the end of the 18th century. It is made according to the Chinese model and has ten octagonal floors, the bottom of which is about 15 meters in diameter.

Each floor has a special roof, which is protected by ceramic tiles and protrudes slightly. The roof decorations were dragons, which, according to rumors, were originally gold, but they were sold by George IV, who had many debts. In reality, the dragons were wooden, but gilded on top. The building is made of bricks. The staircase, which is located in the very center of the building, has 253 steps. The pagoda was not accessible to the public for a long time, but the situation changed in the summer of 2006. After the restoration, the Pagoda is always open.

Queen Charlotte's Cottage

What remains to this day is the cottage that Queen Charlotte received as a wedding gift before she married George III. Over time, it became the property of the Historic Royal Palaces, but it is not dependent on them. You can watch it on Spring and Labor Day, bank holidays in August, as well as weekends in July and August.

Rhizotron

The rhizotron provides those who wish to see the changes that take place underground during the growth of trees. The Rhizotron is a gallery filled with a collection of large abstract bronze figures equipped with LCD screens that provide information about the life of trees.

Sackler Crossing Bridge

In 2006, the Sackler Crossing Bridge was built. Granite and bronze were used to create it. The project was created by Buro Happold and John Pauson. He owes his name to philanthropists Dr. Mortimer and Teresa Sackler.

In 2008, the bridge received a special award from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Shirley Sherwood Gallery

In the spring of 2008, the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art began its work here. Here are drawings from the estate of Kev and Dr. Shirley Sherwood, most of which have never before been made available to the public. Great attention is drawn to the works of such masters as George Ehret, Pierre-Joseph Redoute and Walter Hood Fitch.

Treetop walk

Such a walk gained popularity after its opening in the spring of 2008. It provides an opportunity for everyone to climb 18 meters in height and 200 meters in length under the shelter of trees.

They even shot a short film that tells about the construction.

It was screened at the Princess of Wales Conservatory during the 2008 Tree Festival.

Train travel

Q Explorer is a special service that offers a ride through the garden on a 72-seat train, which is fueled by liquefied gas. The driver gives some information during the trip and makes stops. You can pay for the ticket once, and ride all day.

House of water lilies

The water lily house is a warm and humid house, which includes a huge pond. Here you can admire the variety of water lilies surrounded by screens with photos of warm plants.

And these are orchids.

In general, there is something to see in this wonderful park! It is especially good for visiting with children!

How to get to Kew Gardens:

You can get there by different means of transport:

Metro: to Kew Gardens station (£4.0=€5.05)
Train: Railway station: Kew Bridge
Bus: Nos. 65, 237, 267, 391 (Ј 2.0=€ 2.53)
From April to September, you can visit the garden by traveling along the Thames on a water bus from Westminster Pier.

Opening hours and ticket price

Kew Gardens can be visited any day from 9:30 a.m. In the spring-summer season they are open until 19h30, in winter - until 17h30.
Kew Gardens is also open on weekends.

Admission fee for adults £14.50=€ 18.3

Children (under 12 years old) free of charge

The London administration is taking steps to develop tourism, with a special priority for those who travel with their families. These are, first of all, solid discounts, for example, "2 in 1" - two train tickets for the price of one, and, having arrived in Kew Gardens by train, you will receive a 50% discount on entrance tickets.

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 occupies an area of ​​almost 135 hectares.

Story

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK) is not the oldest and not the largest garden in the world, but it has its own, very interesting story 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 in its development. I decided to build on these lands, where today the Deer Park is located, a hunting lodge of a very modest size. 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. It's even large territory than the one that the Royal Botanic Gardens in London occupy today.

In 1678, next door to royal family a certain Mr. Capel settled. In his garden, he collected the best fruit-bearing trees that grew at that time in England. His house, which he called the White House, eventually became part of the Welsh family.

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 greenhouse, the temple of Bellona, ​​the temple of Arethusa, the Chinese pagoda and the arch have survived to this day.

Gardens in the 18th century

In 1760, Capebility 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 on 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 time in this position, Banks organized several scientific expeditions to collect plants in all corners of the world. During this time, the collection of the garden 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 the plants that were brought here from different parts of the Earth 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 at Kew 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 - in the garden there are many very rare, and sometimes even

Description of the complex

The Royal Botanic Gardens in London, whose photos can often be seen in the English press, do not need advertising to attract tourists. In our time, this amazing complex has become the largest European center for botanical research.

On its territory there are scientific laboratories, an exhibition of herbariums, storage facilities, 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 - very lightweight design made of glass and metal.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens, can be called without exaggeration the most beautiful of the 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

The most popular attractions of the Royal Garden are Kew Palace, Big Pagoda, Minka, Davis Alpine House, Rhizotron Multimedia Gallery, Queen Charlotte's Cottage, Water Lily House, Shirley Shearwood Gallery.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, pay tribute to the culture of Japan. First of all, these are those that accurately reproduce the architecture of a Shinto shrine. This and transported in 2001 from Japan wooden house, which has already survived its 100th birthday.

Kew Gardens in London, photos of which are published by all travel companies in their booklets, have three huge greenhouses - the temperate Palm and the Princess of Wales greenhouse. Each of them has unique characteristics and exposure.

greenhouses

You already know that there are three greenhouses in Kew Gardens - the Princess of Wales's Orangery, House of Palms, which was established under Queen Victoria (in 1848). A glass greenhouse, which was a huge rarity for the time when it was created. Tropical people feel comfortable here exotic plants. The temperate climate home, 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 Orangery. Here everyone can see the huge size that was once brought from the Amazon, as well as the most large flower in a world that has 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. With detailed plan upcoming events can be found on the website of this institution.

From the Victoria Gate, through 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 pounds.

Popularity Secret

There are many interesting natural monuments in the world that deserve our attention. But why is the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew not losing its 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 was chosen ideally - 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. These are probably all the secrets that make the Royal Gardens so popular.

The Royal Botanical Garden is located in the town of Peradeniya, in the largest bend on the Mahaweli River. The flora collection of the famous botanical garden is simply unique. Visitors can see more than five thousand species of various plants in the garden, planted on a huge hilly area of ​​95 hectares. , by right, is considered the best in all of Asia. In the Royal Garden you can see rare species plants, amazing giant trees, an orchid greenhouse, numerous cacti, bamboos, a fern grove, a unique exposition indoor plants and other interesting tropical exhibits. To see all the expositions of the botanical garden in Sri Lanka, visitors need a whole day to explore the vast territory.

Royal Botanic Gardens of Sri Lanka - video

Royal Botanic Gardens of Sri Lanka - photo

A bit of history

The beginning of the story Royal Botanic Gardens attributed to 1371, when King Vikremabahu III moved his court to Peradeniya. The best gardeners Sri Lanka, by decree of the king, a prototype of a modern garden was created. Subsequently, the hilly area was divided into park areas, which reflected different types of tropical flora. The garden got its name in the middle of the 18th century, but 1821 is considered to be the year of foundation of the garden. At this time, the king of Sri Lanka was overthrown, and the British took up the garden, paying great attention to the cultivation and study of the local flora. At that time, coffee, rubber, tea, cinchona, coconut and nutmeg were grown in the botanical garden.

What to watch

Today, the largest garden in Sri Lanka, located in Peradeniya, is widely known for its unique collection of tropical flora. Particular attention of visitors is attracted by the alley of memorial trees, created with the participation of prominent and famous people who visited Sri Lanka. The first tree in the memorial alley was planted by King Edward the Seventh, and the second (the Ceylon iron tree, protruding national symbol Sri Lanka) - in 1891 planted Russian emperor Nicholas II. In the memorial alley, you can also see plants planted at one time by I. Gandhi, Yuri Gagarin and other famous visitors.

Another unique exposition is a huge collection of indoor plants (about 750 species), surprising with a variety of colors and interesting leaf shapes. The pride of the garden of Sri Lanka is a collection of orchids, consisting of about 100 varieties of these plants. A large palm grove, which includes quite rare specimens, also deserves attention. The most amazing plants are collected in the Royal Botanic Gardens! For example, there is Benjamin's ficus, whose huge crown exceeds an area of ​​​​2,500 square meters.

Royal Botanic Gardens - video

How to get to the Royal Botanic Gardens

Address of the Botanic Garden in Peradeniya: Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. This place can be reached by bus number 644, following from. The bus stop "Clock Tower" is located near the clock tower. Another option is bus number 652 from the Torrington stop in the market area. You can return from the botanical garden by any bus heading towards Kandy.

Opening hours and ticket prices

The Royal Botanic Gardens are open to the public daily throughout the year. Opening hours of the largest garden in Sri Lanka: 7:30 - 17:30, tickets at the box office can only be purchased until 17:00.

The cost of visiting the garden for foreign tourists is approximately 10 dollars or 1,100 rupees. A ticket for a local resident is much cheaper - only 50 rupees.

Royal Botanic Gardens on the map

London is home to the Royal Botanic Gardens, also known as Kew Gardens. Here reigns a bewitching beauty. If tourists want to see absolutely all types of plants that exist on our planet, then you should go to London's Royal Botanic Gardens. In that ancient city Kew gardens are the most beautiful places. The garden is spread over an area of ​​120 hectares. It is noteworthy that in addition to amazing plants, on the land of Kew you can see the delightful palace of George III and the Chambers Pagoda. research here is widely staged.

The complex path of plant development can be traced in the House of Evolution. Next to it there is a cedar alley, an alley of rhododendrons, a bamboo garden, as well as a garden of lilacs and azaleas. There are in the world different kinds botanical gardens, which are larger than Kew, are found even older than him. However, nowhere in the world great combination beauty of the landscape, flora. Interestingly, the first gardens were laid out on the banks of the Thames, this was done to explore the advantages of such a location.

Attractions in Kew Gardens

By itself, the Royal Botanic Gardens are a special attraction in London. Approximately two million people come here every year. Lord Tewkesbury founded this garden in 1759. Over time, the botanical garden was enlarged and rebuilt by the architect William Chambers. Gradually, beautiful architectural structures appeared in the royal botanical gardens, they have survived to this day. In 1631, Kew Palace was built, it is surrounded by the Royal Garden, where plants have been preserved since the 17th century. However, you need to remember that you need to purchase an entrance ticket here.

In 1762, the Chinese Pagoda, which consists of ten blocks of floors, and in the center of the building is a staircase. This is interesting building deserves special attention. In 1880, the Marianne North Gallery was built, which houses 832 works by this famous artist. In the greenhouse - Alpine House, which was created in 1887, a real alpine mountain climate reigns. AT Japanese style rebuilt Mink's house, which is similar to the houses of the Okazaki neighborhood. In the Chokushi-Mon pavilion, which was opened in 1910 in honor of the Japan-British Exhibition. There are traditional Japanese gardens here.

(Eng. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) - a complex of botanical gardens, greenhouses and greenhouses; an important research and training center; the world's largest collection of living plants (more than 30 thousand), and the second largest herbarium (7 million plant varieties). On the territory of the Botanical Gardens, also known as Kew gardens, whose area is 120 hectares, there are many architectural structures and attractions of various styles.

Kew Botanic Gardens originated in west London in the second half of the 17th century from a small apothecary garden, but it took almost a hundred years for them to receive the official status of a botanical reserve. It is happened in 1759 by order of King George III, who seriously took up the improvement of the territory, hiring architects and botanists. Finally, in 1840, the complex became the National Botanical Garden. Magnificent greenhouses were built here, a large scientific center with a library and an archive of herbariums was opened. Subsequently, the appearance of the gardens changed, new interesting landscape solutions and special structures for vegetation from all over the world appeared. In 1987, the Great Storm caused great damage, uprooting hundreds of trees and plants.

The biggest eye-catchers are the majestic iron and glass greenhouses, a forerunner of Victorian architecture. The large one was built in 1848 and inside it created a humid tropical atmosphere for the plants of the southern regions. The next large greenhouse is named after the Princess of Wales. In 1987, she brought plants from 26 old small greenhouses under her roof. The conditions of ten climatic zones are recreated here - from desert to humid equatorial forests. No less interesting greenhouse water lily house where you can see the world's largest water flowers.

Another notable building is the old great pagoda in chinese style built in the middle of the 18th century. Its total height is 50 meters. The theme of oriental aesthetics is not limited to the pagoda - besides it, there is an authentic Japanese house Minka, which was brought from Japan unassembled. Today it is hidden in the bamboo thickets. Japanese theme continues with temple gates hokushi mon near the pagoda and a garden in the spirit of the Japanese landscape design. In addition, you can visit a lovely collection of bonsai-style dwarf trees.

Don't miss the central mansion of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Palace. It is considered the smallest of all royal palaces and was built in the early 17th century by a Dutch merchant in the Flemish style.

On the territory of the garden there was a place for art - this Marianne North Gallery of Botanical Art. She was a traveler who traveled to many countries, sketching plants. The gallery houses more than 800 of her works. There is also a second, more modern, similar gallery in the gardens - named after Shirley Sherwood, which opened in 2008.

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You can learn a lot of useful information about the world of flora by visiting the museum of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In its three-story building, visitors will learn everything about the most important role of plants in the life of mankind - about their use as medicines, clothing, food.

An unforgettable experience will be a walk along a special alley above the tops of trees at a height of 15 meters. The 200-meter alley was opened recently and is designed to immerse a person deeper into vegetable world. The most interesting thing is that there is also an opposite "attraction", where you can admire the structure of plants below the soil level.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, constantly keep up with the times, and an example of this is Rhizotron, a modern combination of plasma screens and bronze sculpture. The installation tells about the invisible life of the root system of trees.

And in the gardens there is a cute alpine house, the largest in the world compost heap, the photo exhibition "Best Garden Photographer of the Year" and, of course, a huge variety of plants: from huge trees to ferns, from bamboo to cacti.

- group tour (no more than 15 people) for the first acquaintance with the city and the main attractions - 2 hours, 15 pounds

- see the historical core of London and learn about the main stages of its development - 3 hours, 30 pounds

- find out where and how the culture of tea and coffee drinking was born, and plunge into the atmosphere of those glorious times - 3 hours, 30 pounds