Quiz: Are you a Kew history buff?

Kew Gardens has a long and rich history. But how well do you know it?

Take our quiz of 15 questions to test your knowledge. 

You'll find the intriguing answers at the bottom of the page. Ready, set, go!

2. Our oldest glasshouse was completed in 1848. What is it?

A. Palm House

B. Temperate House

C. Waterlily House

D. Princess of Wales Conservatory

4. What is the oldest building in the Gardens, built in 1631?

A. Orangery

B. The Herbarium

C. Queen Charlotte's Cottage

D. Kew Palace

6. Our Waterlily House was originally built to house which plant?

A. Santa Cruz waterlily (Victoria cruziana)

B. Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

C. Pygmy Rwandan waterlily (Nymphaea thermarum)

D. Giant waterlily (Victoria amazonica)

8. Which one of our buildings was burnt to the ground by suffragettes in 1913?

A. Nash Conservatory

B. Bonsai House

C. Tea Pavilion

D. Minka House

10. When did the Temperate House reopen after a five-year restoration that took a team of 400 people to complete?

A. 1900

B. 1956

C. 1999

D. 2018

12. When was our own police force, the Kew Constabulary, formed?

A. 1950

B. 1845

C. 1900

D. 1780

14. During the 19th century, how were uprooted trees transported in the Gardens?

A. On temporary railway lines

B. Through underground tunnels 

C. Pulled by horses

D. Pulled by cattle

Answers

1. When was the original botanic garden founded at Kew?

C. 1759

Learn more historical facts about the Gardens

2. Our oldest glasshouse was completed in 1848. What is it?

A. Palm House

Discover the secrets of our Palm House

3. The oldest pot plant in the world has lived at Kew since 1775. What species is it?

B. Eastern Cape giant cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii) 

Read about this record-breaking plant

4. What is the oldest building in the Gardens, built in 1631?

D. Kew Palace

Find out about our royal treasures

5. Which monarch inherited the Kew estate in 1772 and joined it with the royal estate in Richmond?

A. King George III

Surprise yourself with these little-known historical Kew facts

6. Our Waterlily House was originally built to house which plant?

D. Giant waterlily (Victoria amazonica)

Delve deep in our Waterlily House

7. What was the original colour of our Palm House?

C. Green

Read about colour in nature

8. Which one of our buildings was burnt to the ground by suffragettes in 1913?

C. Tea Pavilion

Read more on how the suffragettes made their mark on Kew

9. During the Second World War, the Great Pagoda was used for what?

B. Testing the aerodynamics of bombs

Discover how Kew also helped the war effort with potatoes

10. When did the Temperate House reopen after a five-year restoration that took a team of 400 people to complete?

D. 2018

Go behind the scenes of our Temperate House

11. Who buried a time capsule in the foundation of our Princess of Wales Conservatory in 1985?

A. Sir David Attenborough

Soak up the Princess of Wales Conservatory secrets

12. When was our own police force, the Kew Constabulary, formed?

B. 1845

Read about Constabulary and supernatural stories at Kew

13. Which part of the Gardens does the archive picture below show?

A. Rock Garden

Watch our Rock Garden explainer film

14. During the 19th century, how were uprooted trees transported in the Gardens?

C. Pulled by horses

Learn about the wildlife that lives in our Gardens today

15. When was our original Japanese Gateway gifted to Kew after its inclusion in the Japan-British Exhibition in London?

A. 1910

Find out more things you didn't know about our Japanese Landscape