It was a muggy but bearable 24 degrees Celsius this Tuesday, with a slightly overcast sky, so I took myself off to Kew Gardens, with the SuperDean in tow.
Following a major restoration project, it is now possible to climb the 253 steps to the top of the Great Pagoda. We visited only 5 days after it was opened by Prince Charles, Patron of the Royal Botanical Gardens.
Here is our first view of this oriental-inspired spectacle...
Following a major restoration project, it is now possible to climb the 253 steps to the top of the Great Pagoda. We visited only 5 days after it was opened by Prince Charles, Patron of the Royal Botanical Gardens.
Here is our first view of this oriental-inspired spectacle...
The Great Pagoda is a ten storey octagonal tower, with each floor 30cm narrower than the one below. It is almost 50 metres high and has always been my most favourite building at Kew.
The pagoda was designed by Sir William Chambers as a gift for Princess Augusta (mother of King George III) the founder of the botanic gardens at Kew. It was completed in 1762 and, at the time was considered so unusual that people were unconvinced that it would remain standing!
The building has recently been restored to its 18th century splendour, including re-creating the decorative dragons (removed in 1784, possibly to cover the gambling debts of George IV).
Most of the modern dragons are made with a robust polyimide material and weigh only a few kilos each. They are hollow and are only 2-4mm thick. The original dragons were carved from wood and were much heavier. Wood dragons have been used on the first floor but, at two tonnes per level, it was not viable to use this dense material on the higher floors. As the building is so old, there was a real concern that they would seriously compromise the structure.
The modern dragons...
The magnificent views down. I LOVED this. Was I pleased with the restoration and do I like what they've done? Well, the place looked good before, but the answer to the question is a definite yes.
We left and walked on, passing King William's Temple, built in 1937.
The building has recently been restored to its 18th century splendour, including re-creating the decorative dragons (removed in 1784, possibly to cover the gambling debts of George IV).
Most of the modern dragons are made with a robust polyimide material and weigh only a few kilos each. They are hollow and are only 2-4mm thick. The original dragons were carved from wood and were much heavier. Wood dragons have been used on the first floor but, at two tonnes per level, it was not viable to use this dense material on the higher floors. As the building is so old, there was a real concern that they would seriously compromise the structure.
The modern dragons...
Close-up...
Looking up from the base...
Once inside, we had to wait to ascend. There used to be benches against the walls outside, and I used to stand on them to gawp inside. It was great to be able to finally look the other way...
We took the 253 stairs to the top in one go (okay, maybe I did have the odd 2-3 second catching of breath between floors...) and were the first people to reach the top. We impressed ourselves- yes, we were out of breath, but still able to converse, so we can't be that unfit.
Here's the stair view down...
Our first view out, over the City of London and the Docklands...
Richmond...
The newly refurbished Temperate House. More about that later...
There were fires over in the distance. I believe we are looking north/ north west here, but don't quote me on that...
The Zen Garden...
On the way down and the attention to detail is considered. I like the decorative way in which they've painted the floor numbers. Little things please little minds, and all that...
There is a glass floor panel. I believe it's between the 2nd and 3rd floors...
View up...
The stairs, looking upwards...
Saying goodbye and walking away...
As I've mentioned before, Kew is on the Heathrow flight path...
The Japanese theme continues in this area with the peaceful Zen Garden...
The Japanese Gateway...
Dragon carvings...
And now we come to the Temperate House, recently re-opened after a massive restoration project. It will have closed after our September 2014 visit and before our July 2015 visit, so it's been quite a length project. If the Great Pagoda is my favourite Kew building, then the Temperate House is my favourite glasshouse.
There are two octagonal sections in this building, and here is a roof view. Every pane of glass has been replaced and the place certainly looked sparkling.
Kew, of course, is all about plants, and I thought this potted specimen was very pretty. I didn't record the name of the plant. Naughty of me, but I'm no horticulturalist. A little googling reveals that it could very well be a Trumpet Honeysuckle.
This beautiful waterfall wasn't here before- the place used to simply have flower beds laid out uniformly. Before the restoration the floor and building in general looked a lot greyer, but it did have a certain elegance.
The stairs upwards. I don't remember these ever having been here before. Maybe they were, but I really don't believe they were accessible...
The magnificent views down. I LOVED this. Was I pleased with the restoration and do I like what they've done? Well, the place looked good before, but the answer to the question is a definite yes.
We left and walked on, passing King William's Temple, built in 1937.
This was my first attempt at a photo, but Dean had to ruin it by getting his smelly bum into the shot!
The temple contains some tablets recording British military victories from 1760 to 1815.
We then visited the Palm House, Waterlily House and the Royal Kitchens. I didn't take many pictures inside as I've blogged extensively about these places before.
Here is my link to that previous blog post:- http://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2017/08/miss-elaineous-visits-kew-gardens.html
But a couple of Palm House plants were worthy of a shot. Here's a ripening bunch of bananas...
This caught my eye. I googled a description and I believe it's Pinecone Ginger...
This very interesting plant features on the inside cover of my 1998 Kew Gardens tourist brochure, but its name is not referenced and silly me didn't check at source. I also googled a description of this, and found out that it's called a Heliconia.
The flowers remind me of pelicans' bills!
We visited the Hive- which underwhelmed Dean- but, again, I didn't take photos as quite a few featured on my previous blog.
I liked this interesting triangle tree (as I christened it). I believe it's on a section called The Great Broad Walk Borders.
One thing I made sure I saw was the Ice House, which I kept referring to as 'the igloo'! My camera died on me the last time I was here and my phone at the time really was useless at cutting the mustard.
Here's the entrance...
The Ice House ceiling...
I nearly fell backwards up a small step whilst taking this photo...
We ventured into the Princess of Wales Conservatory.
At the entrance, arid lands are featured and here are some cacti...
This cactus has an interestingly shaped 'head'... and an erect 'penis'...
Trust me to think that!
I don't remember ever seeing waterlilies with red bands on the underside before. My SuperDean said, 'They're like you- they've got red lipstick on!'
There are a couple of sections devoted to carnivorous plants...
Some species of Pitcher Plants grow big enough to trap a rat...
Dean said these orchids would look nice in my hair...
The Latin name for this flower is Alani Anthurium. It is native to Hawaii.
It hasn't rained for weeks, and this was evident given the state of this bleached grass...
The Davies Alpine House...
Outside this conservatory is the Rock Garden...
Right at the far corner of Kew Gardens is the Bonsai House. These cute little fellas were worthy of a photograph....
On our way out we passed the Temple of Aeolus...
In the gift shop I saw this lovely Marianne North book available for £15... so I waited until I got home and bought it off eBay for closer to £11...
It's my birthday present to myself and is extremely interesting, BUT...
The author apparently holds an MA with Distinction in Creative and Life Writing, from Goldsmiths, University of London.
Within a matter of pages I found the wrong context of the word 'too' used, Marianne spelt Mari- anne, and stiff ness spelt... just like that, rather than stiffness. There are also spacing issues within the text.
The author appears to have a very British name, so I'm guessing that English is her first language. She also works as a freelance writer and editor (according to the blurb) and appears to have done the editing herself as no other contributor is mentioned, apart from someone working on typesetting and layout. I know everyone makes mistakes (I pick up on a new error every time I read my self-published novel). But this work is not self-published, so REALLY?!!!!
Schadenfreude? You betcha, but Goldsmiths offer up scholarships, so I will be applying for one as I want to study for my Master's Degree. If that's the expected standard then entry and achievement should be a walk in the park for me.
TTFN
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