London Flights - Kew Gardens and Palace - Famous London Sights

Kew Gardens and Palace

Known simply as the Dutch House until 1827, the Kew Palace and Gardens were built in 1631 for the Dutch merchant named Samuel Fortrey. The Fortrey family leased the mansion to Queen Caroline for 99 years at just 100 pounds a year, which was needless to say a great deal for the Queen. The Dutch House involved a palace and gardens and was quite beautiful. Now known as the Kew Palace and Gardens, the mansion has been restored recently so it is as beautiful as ever and a tourist attraction.

Inside the Kew Palace

The Palace at Kew has undergone more than one renovation, once around 1804 when the mansion was the home of King George III. The renovation included secret rooms, which are now shown along with the King’s belongings including art, science, and music. Also on display is the doll's house that belonged to princesses and beautiful art work that anyone would love.

The mansion has been open to the public since Queen Victoria has ruled, although it was shut down while it was restored. It has been so well restored that visitors will experience the mansion much as it would have been 200 years ago, which is an historical experience to say the least.

Outside, visitors will be inspired by the famous Royal Botanic gardens. In 1751 the garden was added, but it was then just nine acres of beautifully manicured land. Over time, the gardens have been expanded to now cover more than three hundred acres, all of which are beautifully kept. Many come to the gardens because it is home to 12% of the known plant species in the world. The gardens here were involved in the first effort to grow rubber trees outside of South America and the effort was successful.

To make the gardens even more beautiful, there is a Chinese Pagoda that provides a superb backdrop for photos. There are also numerous Victorian greenhouses located around the gardens; the most notable of them being the enormous, and distinctly shaped, Palm House that dates back to 1848.  The Temperate House was added to the property in 1860.

Many come to see the Princess of Wales Conservatory, which is a structure for experiments. The structure has 10 different climate zones, and is one of the more modern undertakings on the property considering the age of many of the greenhouses.

Kew Palace and Gardens isn’t in the center of London, it is instead located about 40 minutes west on the District train line. The station is aptly called Kew Gardens, so there should be no reason to be confused about where to alight. The gardens are a pleasant 10 minutes walk from the station and will take you through the quaint Kew Village. Kew really is an experience you cannot miss out on!