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Queen's Cottage Grounds |
Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Grounds. In May the woodland is carpeted with bluebells.
Famous for its bluebells, the 37 acres (15 hectares) of Queen's Cottage Grounds is one part of Kew Gardens where conservation efforts are firmly directed at British species, rather than plants from abroad. Woodland, meadow and pond habitats are carefully managed as a refuge for plants and wildlife, including insects, bats and birds.
Queen's Cottage was built for Queen Charlotte around 1760 in what were then Richmond Gardens. The surrounding woodland was used as a game preserve until 1851. Both the cottage and the Grounds were given to Kew in 1898 by Queen Victoria to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee. When donating the land, Queen Victoria stated that she "... earnestly trusts that this unique spot may be preserved in its present beautiful and natural condition."
The path through Queen's Cottage Grounds was opened to the public on 1 May 1899. Public access to the interior was discouraged, as it was recognised as a valuable area for nightingale, shrike, wryneck and many other birds. Today, the area remains a relatively undisturbed haven for wildlife.
The semi-natural oak woodland is now being carefully managed to maintain, improve and create habitats for British wildlife. The area contains many exotic trees, such as monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana) and Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), which date back to the time when the area was part of the Royal Gardens. These are gradually being replaced with locally-sourced trees.
Below the tree canopy, brambles (Rubus fruticosa) and dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) form the shrub layer. In spring, snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) flower in the herbaceous layer, followed by bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and yellow perfoliate alexanders (Smyrnium perfoliatum). Alexanders is an introduced parsley that has now naturalised in a few sites in London.
As part of English Nature's Species Recovery Programme, the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew co-ordinated research to ensure long-term survival of one of Britain's rarest trees, the Plymouth pear (Pyrus cordata). It is a small spiny tree, with fruits the size of a marble and flowers that have been described as smelling of rotten scampi. In Britain it is found wild in only a handful of sites in Cornwall and the Plymouth area. The entire British population could be lost if the few wild trees are damaged or succumb to disease, so grafts of the wild trees were established at Kew and in other botanic gardens. Three specimens have been planted outside Queen's Cottage.
Rare native species of mountain ash (Sorbus species) have also been planted in the woodland. They include S. bristoliensis from the Avon gorge where the remaining 100 wild trees grow, and bastard mountain ash (S. pseudofennica) from the Arran Islands. The woodland is also home to the extremely rare two-lipped door snail (Laciniaria biplicata).
Dead wood, whether it is left as standing trunks or lying on the woodland floor, provides valuable habitats which are rare in more 'tidy' woodlands. Birds and bats hide in crevices and hollow trunks, while fallen wood provides a dark, damp refuge for a multitude of insects and other arthropods, some of which become food for woodpeckers. The nutrients in decaying wood are returned to the soil by fungi.
Hazel (Corylus avellana) is managed by the traditional method of 'coppicing'; regularly cutting the plants down to a stump so that new branches sprout from the base. The long straight poles can be used for pea sticks and hurdles. A coppicing cycle (cutting different areas at different times) gives a patchwork of habitats, with woodland flowers such as foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) growing between freshly cut stumps ('stools'), while the dense branches of older growth provides cover for birds.
The area is a mosaic of many types of habitats, supporting a variety of plants and animals.
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The grass area near the Isleworth Gate is an ancient meadow; there are no records of it ever being cultivated. Many herbaceous plants grow here, including ten species of grass, five of which don't occur anywhere else within the gardens. To maintain this diversity it is mown once a year after the flowers have set seed. The cuttings are removed as in a traditional hay meadow. In summer the meadow is full of butterflies and many other insects.
As the only area of open standing water within Queen's Cottage Grounds, the Larch Pond is important for encouraging a greater diversity of wildlife in the area. The pond is clay-lined and was dug in 1973/4. It is managed to achieve a balance between open water and vegetation cover. Plants include reedmace (Typha latifolia) and great water dock (Rumex hydrolapathum). In 1993, 100 great crested newts were released into the pond as part of a national programme to introduce newts to safe areas. Great crested newts are losing their natural habitats mainly due to changes in farming and new building developments. The newts breeding in the Larch Pond are monitored by staff volunteers.
Many of the plants in the woodland, particularly bluebells, are easily destroyed by trampling. To prevent damage, and to maintain the area as a peaceful haven for wildlife, public access to the grounds is limited to surfaced paths.
Malcolm Emery (1986) Promoting Nature in Towns and Cities. Croon Helm Press.
Andy Jackson (1995) The Plymouth Pear - the recovery programme for one of Britain's rarest trees. British Wildlife. 6 (5) pp 273-278.
At Wakehurst Place, Loder Valley Reserve is also managed for wildlife (see information sheet W7), and the Millennium Seed Bank will hold seeds from the entire British flora.
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For additional information about the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, please email info@rbgkew.org.uk.