Figure 1.--.

The proper name of Kew Gardens is the Royal Botanical Gardens. It consists of 300 acres of botanical exhibitions open to the public. Kew Gardens are located on the south bank of the Thames River between Richmond and Kew in the suburbs of south-west London. I was very familiar with the giant hot house at Kew Gardens and other exhibits. Mum used to take us there sometimes on a Sunday afternoon. I have told you also that I normally objected to this as I wanted to go out and play after Sunday lunch, but my brother liked it as Kew Gardens had some of the best conker trees and he used to come back with a satchel full. I got into trouble one at school about a field trip to Kew Gardens. The school was very strict about how we dressed when we went out on such trips. And I got it in my head that I didn't want to wear my jumper.

Kew Gardens

The proper name of Kew Gardens is the Royal Botanical Gardens. It consists of 300 acres of botanical exhibitions open to the public. Kew Gardens are located on the south bank of the Thames River between Richmond and Kew in the suburbs of south-west London. Notice it is Kew Gardens, not one singular Kew Garden. This is because the park was developved over several centuries. The current Gardens consist of two former estates, Kew Estate and Richmond Estate. The gardens are reffered to as "Royal" because for many years the estates were not open to the public and belonged to different members of the royal family. King George II and Queen Caroline lived at Ormonde Lodge, on the Richmond estate. Their son and heir, Prince Frederick, leased the neighbouring Kew estate in the 1730s. This was the beginning of Kew Gardens as we now know it.

Family Trips

I was very familiar with the giant hot house at Kew Gardens and other exhibits. Mum used to take us there sometimes on a Sunday afternoon. I have told you also that I normally objected to this as I wanted to go out and play after Sunday lunch, but my brother liked it as Kew Gardens had some of the best conker trees. I wasn't much interested, but he was really into conker fighting. So he used to come back with a satchel full (and I had to carry some in mine for him too) when we went in the Autumn - which he always insisted on. Kew was not the sort of place where you threw sticks at the trees (it was - and probably still is - policed by the Royal Parks Police) so he always wanted to go once the conkers had started falling. I objected because on those days I wasn't allowed to change out of my Sunday School clothes as Mum always dressed us smartly when we went visiting or to a park especially on Sunday and for me that meant one of the white shirts that I always felt cold in for some reason. The hothouse at Kew was just that - hot - heated by pipes and of course made of glass and iron so in the Summer it was unbearable - and humid because the pipes gave off steam I think. Anyway they had all sorts of exotic plants like orchids there and it was like being in a jungle. Anyway once you came out of there even in the Summer it was like stepping into an ice-bath until you got used to being outside again.I remember the sweat running down my arms,legs and back after being in there and feeling cold and clammy - and Mum would not let us stay in there too long even though it was quite exciting. There were wrought iron spiral staircases to explore the upper galleries on. I could have done with a sweatshirt if they had been sold for children back then. As it was I had to make do with putting on the jumper that Mum always had us pack (along with a plastic mac) if we went out in case it turned chilly which it could sometimes in the Summer. Come to think of it I would have been quite justified in wearing my jumper on that school trip to Kew - but I didn't think of that then. Unfortunately I have no photograps of me and my brothers and Mum at Kew!

School Field Trip

I got into trouble once at school about a field trip to Kew Gardens. The school was very strict about how we dressed when we went out on such trips. And I got it in my head that I didn't want to wear my jumper. It was rther a traumatic experience at the time.

Bill