Kew Royal Botanic Gardens
Alongside the River Thames at Kew is the world famous Royal Botanic Gardens. Perfect for families, it contains the biggest collection of flower specimens in the world including many rare trees and plants, many listed buildings including the largest surviving Victorian glass structure, a royal palace, and a tree-walk.
Originally a royal garden belonging to the eldest son of King George II, Kew opened in 1759. It covers 120 hectares and contains 1/8 of all flowering species known on earth, plus a number of ‘champion’ trees. There are 40 listed buildings including the Palm House, featuring a rain-forest climate with its own tropical sound system, and containing the world's oldest pot plant. Also worth visiting is the Princess of Wales Conservatory, with ten climate areas and a butterfly zone, and the Waterlily House featuring the Giant Amazonian Waterlily, strong enough to support a child’s weight.
From a royal perspective we can also visit the newly restored Kew Palace, the former 18th century residence of the ‘last king of America’, King George III. With just about everything to pique the interest of the green-fingered gardener, it only remains to add that the bookshop offers the country’s largest collection of horticultural books.