Public Education

Events and Exhibitions

Wakehurst Place

Millennium Seed Bank Exhibition

The Millennium Seed Bank Exhibition, which was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales on Monday 20 November 2000, is an integral part of the Millennium Seed Bank Project, allowing the public an inside view into the Project and the processes involved in biodiversity conservation and seed banking.

In the entrance room the visitor is met by a huge glass wall filled with seeds, showing spectacular diversity. There is also an introductory video explaining the vision behind the Millennium Seed Bank Project. In the main exhibition space, the Orange Room, named after Orange plc, big windows connect the display with the seed processing and research laboratories of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Seed Conservation Department. Here, the public can observe seed processing and research in practice. The processes are clearly explained and several interactive computer screens allow visitors to try out seed processing themselves.

A display about the various uses of seed and seed products has also been incorporated in the minimal and modern interior design of the Orange Room. Visitors can also learn more about the various aspects of the Millennium Seed Bank Project, and through a screen-based virtual tour they can visit the Millennium Seed Bank vault, located underneath the Orange Room. Outside the Orange Room various habitats from the UK flora are being created in big raised beds. There is also a commissioned sculpture by Peter Randall-Page, symbolising the seed collection stored in the Millennium Seed Bank.

Located in the new Wellcome Trust Millennium Building, admission is free for visitors to Wakehurst Place. Opening hours are the same as for Wakehurst Mansion.