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More History and Heritage.....
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Palm House ZoneAround the Palm HouseThe area around the Palm House is the heart of the 1850s Nesfield and Burton landscape. Their design overlies and dominates the earlier 18th century Kew Garden landscape largely designed by Frederick, Prince of Wales, Princess Augusta, William Chambers and Lord Bute. This accumulation of design activity over the years has created a variety of landscape characters, making this one of the most interesting and varied areas of Kew. Designs range though small plots of open lawn, formal flowerbeds, terraces with seats, an ornamental lake, clumps of mature trees and open vistas. It presents an unusual mix of high Victorian design, 18th century formality and 20th century intervention. The area is dominated by its keynote buildings, particularly the Palm House and Waterlily House. The Palm House is a Grade I listed building and is one of the world's finest surviving 19th century glasshouses. Built of wrought iron and glass, it was the largest greenhouse in the world when it opened and remains one of the architectural icons of Kew. It is surrounded by a terrace and flowerbeds, which have replaced Nesfield's original parterres, and overlooks a lightly wooded landscape comprised of plantings of diverse genera. Just by the Palm House, the Waterlily House is another of Kew's classic listed buildings, again with ironwork by the builder of the Palm House, Richard Turner. Built in 1852, it was then the widest single span glasshouse in the world, designed specifically to house the huge attraction of the age, the giant Amazonian waterlily. Dividing the landscape are Nesfield's three vistas, the Syon Vista leading to the Thames, the Pagoda Vista and a minor vista to a Cedar of Lebanon. These three vistas, together with the Broad Walk, form the core structural elements of the Nesfield/Burton design and are best experienced from the western entrance to the Palm House. The visitor entrance at Victoria Gate, well serviced by public transport, has a modern visitor centre. Its popularity with visitors is no doubt due to the high visibility and ease of access to the Palm House. The Broad Walk, the Vistas and numerous other paths lead visitors easily into other areas of the Gardens. Museum Number One opposite the Palm House, is the educational resource centre for the Gardens and is also home to the fascinating Plants+People Exhibition.
In the Palm House Zone:
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1841-1885:
The flowering of Kew
Lord
Bute
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to: Places overview
On to: Pagoda
Vista Zone
Palm
House
Back
to: Places overview
On to: Pagoda
Vista Zone