FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kew Gardens lecture draws
in the crowd

Spring 2006

PROFESSOR Sir Peter Crane, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, proved one of the most successful speakers to date at the annual lecture to the Friends in Cannizaro House on February 5, drawing an audience of around 100.

Described in The Guardian as "chief executive of a solar powered industry producing all the planet’s food and most of its medicine, clothing, fuel and shelter", he told the audience about Kew’s unique world role as a seed bank for plant species facing extinction in their natural environments.

Since 2001, Kew has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and during his seven years in the job, Sir Peter has presided over a 50% rise in its annual visitors to around 1.35 million.

The past year alone saw a huge rise with visitors to the Dale Chihuli glasswork exhibition blending with hothouse plants (see top). This year the emphasis will be on Kew’s historical heritage. Major developments will be the reopening to the general public of Kew Palace, one-time home of King George III, and the Pagoda. The latter was built in the 18th century by Sir William Chambers alongside a Mosque and Moorish-style Alhambra Palace - both long since gone - as exotic curiosities in the grounds.

Sir Peter explained how the Kew estate we know today was  created from two separate areas. One of these included the lawns and structures owned by Frederick Prince of Wales, the other - separated by a public right of way to Richmond - was the Richmond Lodge estate designed by Capability Brown for Frederick's father, King George II. By 1760, when these two  antagonists were both dead, the new King George III inherited the two areas and was able to oversee their development under the influence of the great botanist Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society for over 40 years.

Successive monarchs also influenced the gardens (see left). Queen Victoria's parents married at Kew Palace and the National Botanical Garden was born early in her reign.  Under Director William Jackson Hooker, the gardens' huge collection of living plants from across the world was reinforced by the first preserved specimens. Kew's scientific future was assured and today it has 8 million plant specimens in its collection.

Later additions in the grounds were the famous Palm and Temperate Houses, the Marianne North Gallery of over 800 botanical paintings, and in our own times, the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

Arrangements are under way for a special Friends of Cannizaro Park tour of Kew Gardens this summer. Further details will be available in a future edition of the members' Newsletter.