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Buildings and Structures
"Working" Buildings
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Herbarium
This eighteenth-century building was originally named Hunter House and was occupied by the King of Hanover until his death in 1851. In 1853, the Herbarium and Library were founded here. Eminent botanists including George Bentham and W. A. Broomfield donated their own collections to that of the Herbarium, and in 1877, the first wing was added to the Herbarium. Three further wings were added between 1903 and 1968.
Within the Herbarium there are currently over 7,000,000 specimens, representing nearly 98% of all of the genera in the world. It has the largest collection of historical plant specimens (including types), and plant specimens are found from all regions of the world. As always, space is needed to accommodate the Herbarium collections: the latest building at Kew to house the expanding collections was erected on the grass quadrangle within the four wings in 1989.
The Herbarium is not open to the public.