Jubilee celebrations
By: Debora Hodgson, Stephanie Rolt - 08/06/2012
Read about a special display that has been produced for the Library Reading Room to celebrate Her Majesty's connections with Kew.
- 15 likes
- 0 comments
In honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee the Graduate Trainees have produced a display for the Library Reading Room to celebrate Her Majesty’s connections with Kew.
Historic Royal Connections
Kew’s royal connections extend back to the early 18th century when King George II and his son Prince Frederick began to develop two separate estates which were later joined to create the Royal Botanic Gardens we know today.
Kew and the Queen
Since her coronation, Her Majesty the Queen has visited the gardens on many occasions for both public and private events. She helped Kew to celebrate its bicentenary in 1959 by planting a walnut tree (Juglans regia), and Kew Palace hosted her 80th birthday celebration in 2006.
Queen Elizabeth celebrating Kew’s bicentenary in 1959
Her other visits have included opening the Queen’s Garden and a new Herbarium wing containing the Library in 1969. In 1982, she reopened the Temperate House, which had been under restoration for five years, and visited the Marianne North Gallery. In 2004, in recognition of Kew’s UNESCO World Heritage status, the Queen unveiled a plaque in the Nash Conservatory.
The Queen signing the Director’s Visitor Book in 1982
The Queen’s Beasts
Have you ever wondered why ten stone beasts stand guarding the Palm House? They are actually replicas of the heraldic figures representing the Queen’s ancestors which were placed outside Westminster Abbey on the day of her coronation. They help to reinforce Kew’s royal identity.
The Queen’s Beasts
So as part of your Jubilee celebrations, why not visit the Library Reading Room from the 31 May to learn more about the Queen’s relationship with Kew and to see some of the fascinating books, archives and illustrations that are on display.
- Deborah and Stephanie -
Related links
- Learn more about the Library, Art and Archive collections
- Find out about the Queen’s more recent visits to Kew
- Visit the official website of the British Monarchy
- Learn about Queen Victoria and her Diamond Jubilee
Tags: amazing | english heritage | fun | historical | interesting | inspiring
- Print friendly
- Send to a friend
-
Send to a friend Close
- Spread the word
-
Spread the word Close
- Blog this
- Like this
- Close Thanks for liking this page. Tell us why by adding a comment at the bottom.
- Donate
About Nick Johnson
Nick Johnson is the team leader of the Temperate and Conservation collections. Nick has been at Kew for nearly ten years and has worked in the Tropical Nursery for eight of them.
Nick manages a small team that cares for the temperate collections and the increasingly important threatened island flora collections. He provides propagation training to the students in the Nursery and has travelled to some amazing island habitats to assist conservationists in their bid to save endangered plant species.
- If you would like to publish material from this blog in a separate publication, please get in touch with Kew’s Press Office at pr@kew.org. See our full Terms & Conditions here.
Related Tags
- english garden
- innovative
- around the world
- adventurous
- successful
- irreplaceable
- ground breaking
- amazing
- beautiful
- creative
- imaginative
- inspiring
- exotic
- for kids
- fun
- popular
- interesting
- english heritage
- romantic
- ancient
- rare
- active
- landscapes
- discovered
- old
- unusual
- high
- challenging
- donate
- for friends
- gifts that help
- the UK
- treasures
- at risk
- endangered
- fragile
- sustainable
- useful
- royal
- for plant lovers
- special interest
- powerful
- high up
- ornamental
- pretty
- Kew at home
- wet
- extraordinary
- hot
- garden plants
- wild
- flowering
- rare
Follow Kew
Keep up to date with events and news from Kew
No comments on 'Jubilee celebrations'