Press Release

Hidden Gem at Kew to be restored

Cheers were heard from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on 1 March, when staff learned that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has earmarked £1,867,000 for the restoration of the listed Grade II Marianne North Gallery. HLF has also awarded development funding of £71,500 to help work up final plans which, if approved, will see the main HLF grant rolled out and half the full project costs secured. This unique little Victorian gallery is considered one of the ‘hidden' treasures of Kew, known and loved by friends and supporters of the Gardens, but often completely by-passed by casual visitors.

“We are so pleased to be able to restore this gem of a building for people to enjoy,” said Professor Steve Hopper, Director of Kew Gardens. “The story of Marianne North and her amazing contribution to botanical art and plant knowledge is an important part of Kew's and the nation's heritage. We want to restore the building and the paintings and encourage visitors old and new to enjoy them and the stories they tell. Without help from HLF it would not have been possible, so we are very grateful to them and to all the people who buy National Lottery tickets.”

Sue Bowers, HLF Manager in London added; “This wonderful gallery is a hidden gem in Kew Gardens and its charms can now be preserved and opened up for many more people. The hundreds of paintings lining every square inch of the walls have an incredible impact as you walk in and I would encourage everyone visiting the Gardens to take a look.”

The Marianne North Gallery presents an extraordinary interior that makes new visitors gasp in surprise. Opened in 1882, it is one of a very few galleries in the UK designed specifically to house the work of a single artist, and thought to be the only permanent solo exhibition in the country by a female artist. It contains 832 highly colourful flower and plant paintings by the intrepid traveller and artist, Marianne North. A friend of Edward Lear, Charles Darwin and of William and Joseph Hooker, former Directors of Kew Gardens, Marianne made an astonishing series of solo expeditions to the four corners of the world between 1871 and 1885. Often enduring considerable discomfort, she visited America, Canada, Jamaica, Brazil, Tenerife, Japan, Singapore, Sarawak, Java, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Seychelles and Chile, painting over 900 plant species in a huge array of natural habitats.

Back in London, Marianne paid for the gallery to be built at Kew and donated her collections so that her paintings ‘might be by their live neighbours”. She decorated the doorposts and lintels herself and devised the intricate hanging system for her paintings, arranging them geographically and then cheek-by-jowl like an enormous jigsaw so that no wall surface is visible. Still as Marianne North intended today, the interior of the Gallery presents a kaleidoscope of colour and a unique Victorian time-capsule.

Work will start later next year to repair the fabric of the building and restore the 832 paintings, as well as creating a range of materials and activities to improve the experience and information available to visitors. The HLF grant represents approximately 50% of the total costs and Kew still needs to fundraise hard to secure the balance of money needed. Meanwhile, beside the existing gallery, a new gallery is being built to display treasures from Kew's world-renowned collection of botanical art. The two galleries together will form an art complex and a new feature for visitors to Kew.

For further information please contact Alex Gaskell, Communications Account Manager, Heritage Lottery Fund on 020 7591 6047 agaskell@hlf.org.uk

For further information from RBG Kew Press Office please contact Anna Quenby, Catherine Owen or Oliver Basciano on 020 8332 5607 or via pr@kew.org

Notes to Editors:

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate and look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants   open up our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy. We have awarded more than £3.6 billion to over 22,000 projects, including £750 million in London alone.

*A Stage One Pass means that money has been earmarked by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the project in question. Competition at this stage is tough, and while a Stage One Pass does not guarantee funding, it is an indication of positive support, and money for the scheme is set aside. The applicant can then progress to Stage Two and submit a further, fully developed application to secure the full grant. On occasion, at Stage One, funding will also be awarded towards the development of the scheme.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. www.kew.org .

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