Press Release
Royal Opening for Kew's Nash Conservatory
For release: Friday 21 February 2003
One of Kew's oldest glasshouses - which spent its early life in the grounds
of Buckingham Palace - has been completely renovated and will be officially
opened by HRH The Prince of Wales on Monday 24 February 2003.
HRH will also visit the newly renovated Orangery; Kew's Orchid Festival,
the Palm House and the Broad Walk, before formally opening the Nash Conservatory.
The restored conservatory will be used exclusively as a new educational
resource for some of the 60,000 school children who visit Kew each year.
The Conservatory will welcome its first school groups in early April.
The building is part of Kew's Royal history, dating from the time when
Kew Palace was a home for the Royal family. Designed by John Nash in 1825,
it was originally built at Buckingham Palace, one of four similar structures
at each corner of the palace.
The conservatory was moved to Kew Gardens eleven years later, in 1836,
after it was decided that the two north-facing conservatories were unsuited
to plants. The project to reconstruct the conservatory at Kew was undertaken
by Sir Jeffrey Wyatville. Records show that the cost of moving and rebuilding
the conservatory was £3,498 and William IV was involved in selecting
the spot at Kew, ensuring that no trees had to be felled.
The building and its former plant inhabitants reflect the international
aspect of Kew, and global diversity of the plant kingdom. First, it was
a home for plants from the Southern Hemisphere - including eucalyptus
and monkey puzzles. Then it housed tropical climbers, from which it took
its former name - the Aroid House. In the 1980s, it accommodated plants
from all over the world, which had to be moved from the Palm House, during
its extensive renovation.
The combination of a moist tropical atmosphere and a cast iron framework
took a toll on the building over time. The current restoration, which
began in June 2002, is part of an ongoing refurbishment of the listed
buildings and other historic structures on the Kew site.
In 1837, a year after the Nash Conservatory was moved to Kew, Queen Victoria
came to the throne. Four years later, she gave Kew to the nation as a
national botanic garden. This important step opened the way for the subsequent
development and expansion of Kew as a leading international organisation
for developing and sharing knowledge about plants from all around the
world.
Picture desks: Royal Rota applies
For further information, contact Hannah Rogers or Claire Hyde at Kew Press
Office on 020 8332 5607/5619.
For further Press information please contact:
|
Kew: Public Relations Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5607/5619 |
Wakehurst Place: Public Relations Tel: +44 (0)1444 894018 |
