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.
 Back to: 1820-1841:
Gardens in decline
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