The role of William and Joseph Hooker

As the first two Directors of the Royal Botanic Garden, the Hookers established Kew as the world's leading botanic garden. There were, however, differences in the nature of their achievements. William Hooker (Director 1841-1865) is predominately known for his redevelopment of the physical structures of the Gardens, the building of the Palm House, the redesigning of the landscape and, perhaps most importantly, the founding of the Herbarium. The Herbarium was instrumental in securing Kew's place as a leading botanic garden.

William Hooker's son, Joseph (Director 1865-1885), was the greater scientiest but also developed the landscape with his restructuring of the National Arboretum, the laying out of new vistas and walks and the building of the Temperate House. Under considerable pressure, he also allowed more public access to the Gardens. But perhaps his most significant achievement was the redevelopment of the colonial links originally established by Sir Joseph Banks over forty years earlier. Under Joseph Hooker's directorship, the Gardens were responsible for developing the Malaysian and Indian rubber economies and the introduction of Liberian coffee to Sri Lanka. He also reinstated Kew's strong ties with the West Indies, which had declined under his father.

The Hookers seem to have worked in partnership, the achievements of the former feeding and driving the latter. But they also stamped their individual identities on the Gardens, and together they established the template for future developments at Kew.

Back to: 1841-1885: The flowering of Kew