Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London cover 300 acres and feature 40,000 plant species. It is home to a leading scientific research institute, a seed bank, and a large herbarium. The gardens also have historic buildings and greenhouses, including the Palm House and the Temperate House. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens are public gardens located in the Richmond-Kew district of greater London. They are extensive, encompassing approximately 300 acres (121 hectares) and feature 40,000 different plant species. Home to formal gardens since the 18th century, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens attract thousands of visitors each year from around the world. In addition to the many exotic displays, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is home to one of the world’s leading scientific research institutes and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Commonly known as Kew Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens includes the site of the first formal garden built in 1759 by the Lord of Tewkesbury. The Chinese Pagoda, built in 1761, still stands on its original site, and the Dutch House, built at an earlier date, is known today as Kew Palace, but few of the original 18th-century structures remain. As the property was extended and changed in the 19th century, many of the original buildings were demolished to make way for new construction under the direction of King George III, who also extended the gardens.
The largest collection of plants in the world is kept at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Many of these specimens are housed in huge greenhouses. One of them is the Palm House, built in the mid-19th century. Designed to maintain a warm, humid climate to accommodate many exotic varieties of palms, Palm House was constructed of iron and glass and was heated by boilers in the basement. Another large glasshouse at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is the Temperate House, the largest remaining Victorian-style glasshouse in the world.
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens also maintain a huge seed bank called Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank. The gardens are also the site of one of the largest herbariums in the world. In 1987, a huge new building was built to house a variety of plants. The Princess of Wales Conservatory, named in honor of Princess Diana, was designed to house plants from a minimum of 10 different climate zones.
In 2003, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This recognition is given to sites around the world that UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has determined to have natural or cultural elements worthy of being preserved for posterity. Other sites that have received this designation include Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Great Wall of China, the Acropolis, and Yellowstone National Park.
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