Kew Gardens visitor information:
Opening hours:
28 March to 27 Aug 2013, 09.30 to 18.30 Monday to Friday, 19.30 on weekends and bank holidays (last entry to the Gardens, the glasshouses, galleries and the Xstrata Treetop Walkway is 30 minutes before closing.)
Admission:
Adults £16.00, Concessions £14.00 (prices include £1.50 voluntary Gift Aid donation), free for children under 17 (with an adult).
Contact:
info@kew.org, 020 8332 5655, or visit www.kew.org
Kew Palace and Royal Kitchens opening times:
Open from 28 March to 29 September 2013, Monday to Sundays 0930 to 1730 (last admission 1700)
Queen Charlotte’s Cottage opening times:
Open from 28 March to 29 September 2013, weekends only 1000 to 1600 (last admission 1530)
A short history of Kew Palace:
Built in 1631 for Samuel Fortrey, a Flemish merchant, Kew Palace was originally known as the Dutch House. George II acquired the palace in 1729 as a suitable lodging for his three daughters. A year later his son, Frederick, Prince of Wales arrived in England from Germany beginning his and his wife Augusta’s, long connection with Kew.
The prince employed the architect William Kent to remodel the White House, since demolished, a large residence opposite Kew Palace, before laying the foundations for the botanic gardens. After Frederick’s sudden death, Augusta continued to develop the ambitious nine-acre royal gardens around the palace. With William Chamber, her architect, and William Aiton, her gardener, she established the great gardens of Kew.
Historic Royal Palaces:
Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace. We help everyone explore the story of how monarchs and people have shaped society, in some of the greatest palaces ever built (registered charity number 1068852).
We receive no funding from the Government or the Crown, so we depend on the support of our visitors, members, donors, volunteers and sponsors. These palaces are owned by The Queen on behalf of the nation, and we manage them for the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
We believe in four principles. Guardianship: giving these palaces a future as long and valuable as their past. Discovery: encouraging people to make links with their own lives and today’s world. Showmanship: doing everything with panache. Independence: having our own point of view and finding new ways to do our work.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class Herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world.
Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction. Its landscaped 132 hectares and RBG Kew’s country estate, Wakehurst Place, attract over 1.5 visits every year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009. Wakehurst Place is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world.
Kew receives approximately half its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Further funding needed to support Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales.
