William IV reopens Kew Green

The next monarch was George IV's brother, William IV. He removed George IV's main gate and its lodges in 1831, reopening Little Kew Green to the public. However, he did keep Old Kew Green as royal property. The King's Lodge (Hunter House) with its land, he gave to the Duchess of Cumberland for her lifetime, while her husband received several hundred acres of the former Richmond Gardens and the Old Deer Park to use as a game preserve and pasturage.

Under William IV's patronage the Gardens improved marginally. He opened up the northern area, removing sections of the boundary walls of the original Botanic Gardens and the perimeter wall to the east.

As he had plans to extend the Dutch House and reopen it as a royal residence, William separated the house from the more public area of the Gardens by constructing two sections of sunken fence, connected by railings, which extended from the river to the west wall of the Botanic Gardens. This was an important introduction as it further obscured the old east-west division of the Gardens by introducing a new north-south barrier. Although this fence line was later truncated by Decimus Burton's Broad Walk, it survived until the start of the 20th century.

Both George III and George IV had considered building a new palm house, since the existing one was full to capacity. William IV also toyed with the idea, commissioning a design from Sir Jeffry Wyatville, but this was never built.

Eventually, William ordered Wyatville to move one of the John Nash Architectural Conservatories from Buckingham Palace to Kew. Wyatville remodelled the Conservatory extensively and the new building (now known as the Nash Conservatory) proved invaluable in providing space to reduce overcrowding in the old greenhouses. At that time, the Great Stove, built in 1761, was still the largest hothouse in the Gardens.

Wyatville also designed and built the Temple of Military Fame, now known as King William's Temple. The building was almost finished when William died in 1837.

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