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Kew

Festival Tours

Kew 250th Anniversary Walking Tours

Daily during 2009:
Visitors to Kew this summer can join one of our daily 250th anniversary Tours: ‘The Power of Plants’ and ‘Kew: Then and Now’.

Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of May, Wednesdays from June to November:
Behind-the-Scenes tours: ‘Kew – not just a pretty place’. Pre-booking required.

Where advance booking is advised, please phone 020 8332 5604 or email tours@kew.org

The Power of Plants

Daily, 12 noon, until the end of September, approx 1 hr, from the Guides' desk, Victoria Plaza - limited to 15 per tour (on a first-come first-served basis), FREE

This 250th anniversary tour celebrates the vital importance of plants to life on Earth and the scientific work that Kew is doing to conserve plant life worldwide

Kew - Then and Now

May, June July, August, daily, 2.30pm, approx 1 hr, from the Guides' desk, Victoria Plaza - limited to 15 per tour (on a first-come first-served basis), FREE

Discover more about the eventful history of Kew. This tour looks at some of the many differences between Kew as it is today and as it was over the course of its 250-year history.

Series of Behind-the-Scenes Tours: Kew - not just a pretty place

Kew is not just a beautiful garden; it is also an important horticultural and scientific institution.  Kew Guides' ambitious programme of tours span most of 2009, giving visitors the opportunity to see the vital work that goes on behind-the-scenes. The series began with tours of the Tropical Nurseries in February and March, and continues with tours of the Alpine Nursery In April and May; the Jodrell Laboratories in June and July, the Herbarium in August and September; and finally the Economic Botany collection in October and November .

Tours cost £5 per person and last 1½hrs. Places are limited; pre-booking essential - phone 020 8332 5604 or email tours@kew.org   

Kew - not just a pretty place: The Alpine Collection - April, May

Tours start in front of the Plants + People Exhibition on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1.30 pm.

This tour will take visitors through the Rock Garden, the Davies Alpine House and then, behind-the-scenes, into the 'Melon Yard' - the historic name given to the nursery where Kew propagates and grows its main alpine collection.   At the end of the tour there will be a 15 minute Q & A session with a member of staff.

Kew - not just a pretty place: the Jodrell Laboratory - June, July

Tours start in front of the Plants + People Exhibition on Wednesdays at 11.30am and 2.30pm.

This tour will take visitors through the Order Beds, which have been recently rearranged to accommodate the new DNA-based classification and then, behind-the-scenes, through the three wings of the Jodrell Laboratory, including the new Wolfson wing which opened in 2006. Within the Jodrell visitors will see the mycology collection and laboratory, the palynology and chromosome laboratories, the sustainable uses group, the molecular systematics laboratory and, finally, the plant DNA bank.

Kew - not just a pretty place: Herbarium, Library, Art & Archives - August, September

Tours start in front of the Nash Conservatory on Wednesdays at 11am and 2pm

This tour will take participants through Kew's immense Herbarium. You will be visiting the Digitisation and Mounting Rooms, the Library and the 4 wings - built in 1878, 1900, 1930 and 1960 respectively - to house Kew's ever expanding Herbarium, Library and Archive collections. Now, with approx 7 million herbarium specimens, 300,000 books, 200,000 art works and 7 million archival items, Kew is in the process of building a 5th wing! This tour is not suitable for wheelchair users.

Kew - not just a pretty place: Economic Botany Collection - October, November

Tours start in front of the Nash Conservatory on Wednesdays at 11.30am and 2.00pm

The Economic Botany Collection contains 90,000 plant raw materials and artefacts, and is the largest of its kind in the world. It demonstrates the fundamental role of plants in daily life, from ancient Egyptian times to the present. This tour will explore the Collection, both as a tangible record of Kew's 250 years of history, and as part of Kew's new Breathing Planet programme. In an hour the tour will cover three continents.

 

Related services:

  • Kew Explorer - a regular service running every day, covering the major areas of the gardens. Ticket holders are able to get on and off throughout the day.

  • Discovery - a mobility service to enable groups of people with special needs to enjoy the magic of the gardens. Must be booked in advance.