Kew: The History of the Royal Botanic Gardens

Abstract

This informative volume traces extraordinary evolution over more than two centuries of Kew's historic landscape, which began with two private royal gardens and expanded through work of some of our most distinguished garden designers and architects, resulting in an important range of listed buildings of which thirty-nine have survived. These, together with latest additions to Kew's architectural heritage, are extensively illustrated and described. As much part of this fascinating landscape are principal figures in Kew's history - among them Queen Caroline, her son Frederick Prince of Wales, his wife Princess Augusta, and George III; Sir Joseph Banks, who organized first worldwide plant-collecting expeditions; Sir William Hooker and his son, Sir Joseph, who laid foundations of present Botanic Gardens; and successive directors who formulated policy and enabled improvements. Kew also played a pivotal role in development of British Empire's natural resources, introduction of commercial crops to colonies and compilation of colonial floras. Its collaboration with overseas botanical gardens, alongside its establishment as an international scientific institution are equally crucial and examined in detail. Whilst previous accounts of Kew have relied almost entirely on printed sources, present volume makes extensive use of archives which support modern Kew's primary objective: the better management of Earth's environment by increasing knowledge and understanding of plant kingdom.