The Heritage of Kew Gardens
The Early History of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London
Jan 19, 2009
The British Royal Botanic Gardens, also known as Kew Gardens, celebrates 250 years of history and heritage in 2009. Kew Gardens is 300 acres of land situated near Richmond, south-west of London and today is dedicated to preserving its historic assets for future generations. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are home to world species of wildflowers, orchids, plants and trees, some of which were collected on world plant hunting expeditions from the early 18th century.
Early History of Kew Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew were in early development as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries when King Henry VII built Richmond Palace on the site of an earlier royal house; the royal court occupied Richmond Palace throughout the summer months. By the 17th century, the neighboring village of Kew had grown to become a political and powerful seat, due to the influence of a royal presence.
By the early 18th century, the city of London had become popular with writers, musicians and artists creating a growing cultural center. It was in 1759 that the first botanic garden was established at Kew by Princess Augusta and Lord Bute; William Aiton was appointed as gardener to take care of the new gardens. It is from this date, 1759, that Kew Gardens takes its official 'birth date' and marks its 250th anniversary in 2009.
Kew Gardens and Botanist Joseph Banks
There have been many botanists and gardeners associated with Kew Gardens but perhaps the most famous of these is Sir Joseph Banks (1743 - 1820). Kew Gardens began to receive international recognition through the influence of Joseph Banks; it had already become a collection of exotic plant species but, under the guidance of Joseph Banks, Kew became more focused on the scientific and economic botanical purposes of its existence.
In 1773, Joseph Banks became heavily involved with Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, after several world wide plant hunting expeditions; the most famous expedition was probably the Endeavour expedition with Captain James Cook. The botanical plants and information Joseph Banks brought back from these plant hunting expeditions gained King George III's attention; in 1778, Joseph Banks was elected president of the Royal Society, a post which he held for 41 years.
International Recognition of Kew Gardens
In the early 1800s, nearly every ship which left British colony shores, en route to Britain, carried a plant specimen for Kew Gardens; Joseph Banks was gaining both international recognition for the plant collections at Kew and establishing a British center for economic botany for Britain and her colonies.
Francis Masson: Kew Gardener and Plant Collector
Francis Masson (1741 – 1805) was the first Kew collector to bring back living plant material from world expeditions; royal interest promoted the move from the previous botanical collections of dried plants. Francis Masson was entrusted by Joseph Banks to bring back more than 1,000 plant species from expeditions such as Captain James Cook's second global navigation; plants such as geraniums and Bird of Paradise were discovered on these expeditions.
Francis Masson was responsible for bringing the Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) to Britain and the Bread Tree (Encephalartos altensteinii); the Bread Tree was one of the first plants Francis Masson brought back to Britain and it is now located in the Palm House at Kew Gardens.Francis Masson endured many hardships in collecting plant specimens for Kew and he eventually froze to death in North America.
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