ABOUT KEW GARDENS, LONDON ( PART -- I )

Kew Gardens

Elizabeth Gate

       One of the most beautiful sites that one should not miss to see is the most famous Kew Gardens situated on the banks of Thames in Richmond. The nearest station to Kew Gardens is Kew Bridge station and from there you can walk for ten minutes to reach Kew Gardens located in Rchmond near the banks of Thames. From Waterloo railway station there are trains which will take you to Kew Bridge in 35 minutes.This most spacious garden spreading over an area of three hundred acres has the largest number of more than 30,000 species of plant varieties and also provides vast amount of information to plant lovers and scientists in Botanical research. It has nearly seven million preserved plant specimens and is one of  the largest herbariums  in the world. It has the rare privilege of having a very large library possessing 7,50,000 volumes and 1,75,000 prints and drawings of plants. Even common people feel immense pleasure on visiting this paradise of plants showing the wonders of nature found in various countries and climates, all at one place. Due commendation and applause should be given to the Kew, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This garden and its associated departments are managed by nearly eight hundred staff members. The Kew Society has partnership with eighty countries in the world to work in the fields of Botanical Research and Education. It manages two gardens-- one at Kew in Richmond upon Thames and another at Wakehurst Place in Sussex, which is home to Millineum Seed Bank . The Kew Garden founded in 1759 was declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.

      In 1299 King Edward I built a manor house in the neighboring Richmond called "Sheen." In 1501 King Henry V built the Sheen Palace under the name "Richmond Palace." King Henry VII made this palace as his permanent residence. In the beginning of the 16th century royal courtiers built large houses in the region of Kew. Later in 1759 Lord Capel of Tewkesbury laid out a large garden in the spacious area of 300 acres. This exotic garden was enlarged by Augusta, Dowager Princess, widow of Frederick, Prince of Wales. In 1761 William Chambers built several garden structures including the Japanese Pagoda. In 1772 the royal estates of Richmond and Kew merged. King George III enriched the gardens with the help of William Aiton and Sir Joseph Banks. The old Kew Park was demolished in 1802. The Dutch house adjoining the park was purchased by George III as a nursery for royal children in 1781. This plain brick house is now called Kew Palace as George used to spend his time with his family here to take rest and whenever he was suffering from fits of insanity. In 1840 the Kew Gardens was adopted as a national botanical garden by the Royal Horticultural Society and its President, William Cavendish,  R.H.S. William Hooker, Director of Kew Gardens, extended the area of the garden up to 75 acres and the arboretum to 300 acres.

    There are many special attractions which were added to make this garden a unique one. Some of  them are mentioned here just to give you an idea about this worth seeing place.

  "The Palm House " is one of the surviving Victorian glass and iron structures - built between 1844 and 1848. This was designed by Decimus Burton and built by the engineer, Richard Turner. This glass house is 363 feet long, 100 feet wide and 66 feet in height. The glass panes were tinted green with copper oxide to reduce the heating effect. The 19 metre nave is surrounded by a 9 metre high walkway to get a closer look upon the palm tree tops. We can see the tall green palms with broad foliage, brought from Asia, Africa, Australia such as the African oil palm, cocoa, coconut trees, rubber trees, papaya and Mexican yam.

Palm trees

Palm House

    The Alpine House :This pyramid-shaped glass house with glass sides and glass roof was opened in 2006 where you can see more than 200 kinds of Alpine plants which grow 2000 meters above sea level. This house is 50 meters long and 33 feet high protected with a 12 mm thick glass wall. It is located at the north end of the rock garden.The maximum temperature is to be not more than 20 degrees centigrade as they grow on snow-covered hills of Alpine region. Here you can enjoy the beautiful scene of rare flowering plants like the blue Chilean crocus, tulips, evergreen ferns, and Santiago blooms.

Alpine House

Fern plants

  

Tulips

Chilean Crocus

   

Orange and Yellow Flower

A clear-cut floral beauty

  

               

   The Temperate House ;  This 19 meter-high glass house with a spacious area of 4,880 sq.meters is one of the world's largest surviving Victorian glass structures which was commissioned in 1859. This was built by the architect Decimus Burton and iron founder, Charles Turner. At Present it is closed as restoration works are going on with a huge investment of nearly 34 million pounds for a period of five years.

Temperate House

Water Lily House

   






  

The Water-lily House : Here you can see a large pond with varieties of  water-lilies of various colors floating on water amidst broad-spread round leaves. Giant water-lilies with two-meter long leaves catches our attention. The floating blooms in white, red, blue and purple colors in cool shade is quite refreshing to onlookers.The pond is surrounded by green shrubs and plants which can survive in heated atmosphere.This house was constructed in 1852. This house remains closed in winter months.

 

Princess of Wales Conservatory

Lush Greenery at Conservatory

          

Nepenthes (Carnivorous Plant )

                                     

Venus Flytrap (Carnivorous Plant)

   

Pink Orchids

White Orchids

                                                     

Princess of Wales Conservatory : This glass house was designed by Gordon Wilson and opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1987 in memory of the queen Augusta, mother of George III . In this 4,499 sq.meters area, one can see plants growing in dry tropical and wet tropical regions. One will also find the colorful orchids, desert plants and carnivorous plants. This house is a special attraction for many plant-lovers. There are nearly 1500 varieties of orchids in pink, violet, red, yellow and other shades with spots and other designs. Here one can see the gigantic mangroves with huge dangling roots which survive in marshy places along with Indian trees like banana and pineapple. The sight of carnivorous plants in odd shapes ( which survive by feeding on insects) , like pitcher-shaped Nepenthes with waxy interior walls or sun dew plant with sticky mucus on which the insects will get trapped, is quite surprising and shows the miracles of nature's creation. The desert plants with twisted grotesque shapes covered with thorns and thick leaves show how plants adapt themselves to the surroundings in order to survive.

Purple Water Lily

Titan Arum (Gigantic Flower )

                     
                     
   















Besides these glasshouses displaying specimens of the various plant varieties, some more solid constructions are added to enhance the charm of these royal gardens such as the the Japanese Pagoda, Rhizothron, the Tree Top Way, the Rock Garden, and the Gateways along with the Kew palace and Charlotte cottage. One day is not enough to see all these wonderful constructions located in the colorful lap of natural surroundings.

              31st July, 2015                                                           Somaseshu Gutala                         

                                                 
                                       



 


    

ON MY VISIT TO HAMPTON COURT ( PART--II )

Cumberland's Suite

King's Privy Chamber



Heraldic  Animals

King's Beasts on the moat





  The Stuart Dynasty ended with Queen Anne's death in 1714. Afterwards the Hanover dynasty came to rule Britain. George I  and his son George II were the last monarchs to reside at Hampton Court. Under George I, six rooms  were completed in  1717 as per the design made by John Vanbrugh. George II was banned from entering this royal palace after a heated argument with his father in December 1717. The palace was not used between 1718 and 1727. George I made St. James Palace as his residence. After the death of George I in 1727, George II returned to Hampton Palace. Under George II and his wife Caroline, further decorations were done by William Kent to Queen's Staircase in 1733. Queen Caroline's drawing room was decorated with Mantegna's "Triumphs of Caesar". George II built new lodgings on  the east side of the Clock Court in 1732 for his second son, Duke of Cumberland. These rooms are called "Cumberland Suite." During his rule, Queen's Staircase work and decoration work were completed. After Queen Caroline's death in 1737, George II stopped visiting this palace.George III never set foot in the palace as he was humiliated by his grandfather when he made some remark.

Raphael's Cartoon

Raphael's  Cartoons

 

Crystal Chandelier in King's  Privy  Chamber

King William's Private Garden

                                                   

The Oldest Grape Vine In Europe

Dark Red Grapes

  The  Great Vine was planted near the small banqueting house in 1769 which grew to an astonishing height of one hundred feet with a stout stem of eighty-one inches and still yields three hundred kilo of grapes every year. When we entered the vine grove, we felt as if we entered a dark cave with a lengthy passage with clusters of dark purple grapes hanging from above the dense leaves of vine which formed a green canopy giving a cool shade. The maze of the winding curves of this gigantic vine creeper is a wonderful miracle wrought by nature. This 240-year old Grape Vine is reputed to be the largest grape vine in the world. In 1796 "The Great Hall" built by Henry VIII was restored. In 1838 during Queen Victoria's reign the palace was opened to the public.

 The Institution "Historic Royal Palaces" whose head quarters are based in this palace, has done a lot of work in renovating this monumental palace and restoring its past grandeur and glory. Especially between 1970 and 1980's, many renovations have been made to re-create the bygone splendor of this court. The Great Hall, The Great Gate House and the whole of the West Front were re-Tudorised during this period.Ten statues of the heraldic animals called "King's Statues" stand on the moat leading to the Great Gate House.The "King's Beasts" represent the ancestry of the King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. We also find statues of gilded beasts in the new garden. There was no trace of gardens planted by Henry VIII. In 1924 a small knot garden resembling the 16th century was planted. In 1992 King William's private garden on the south side of the palace was re-planted with hollies and yew trees along a geometric pattern of paths in 17th century style.

Horse carriage

The Panoramic View of Yew Trees

                                









   We rode in a horse-carriage drawn by two stout shire horses each weighing more than three tons. Our guide, an English lady, commented on the various sites as we were passing by. The dark foliage of the well-grown yew trees and marble figures around the fountains seemed very attractive. The vast the open grounds were once filled with wild animals and kings actively participated in hunting sports. In the king's and queen's apartments, we can see the royal collection of paintings and furnishings of the early Tudor, late Stuart and early Georgian Period. The famous Raphael Cartoons   ( seven large cartoons designed by Raphael in 1515--1516 ) once adorned the south side of the Fountain Court. Now they have been shifted to Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The copies done by Henry Cooke are displayed in their place.We can also see the rare Chinese Pottery and crystal glassware collected by Queen Mary II. In king's privy chamber a crystal chandelier of 1700's, one of the oldest chandeliers, is seen. Tables, chairs, clocks and stately beds are seen along with beautiful tapestry, hangings and curtains. In king's guard chamber, a large collection of military weapons and arms like muskets, pistols, swords, daggers and armors are seen decorated on the walls. In 1986 fire destroyed a large part of the king's apartment. Repairs were undertaken and the work was completed in 1995.

  This palace houses the Royal School of Needlework and is the headquarters of the Historic Royal Palaces. This year this magnificent, historic monument, which has assimilated various styles of artistic construction during the reign of various royal dynasties for more than three centuries celebrated its 500th anniversary on 12th February, 2015. The 25th annual event of the Royal Horticultural Show was celebrated from 2nd July, 2015 to 5th July, 2015. When the Duke of Wurtenberg visited this palace in 1592, he described this marvelous palace as " the most magnificent  royal edifice to be found in England or for that matter in other centuries."

   This palace stands as a glorious reminder of the times assimilating the diverse changes in different ages and is the product of various architectural changes and innovations which took place during the rule of various British kings and royal personages. It also stands as a solid proof of various historical events and happenings that occurred in her grand apartments.

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    19th July, 2015                                                                         Somaseshu Gutala

ON MY VISIT TO HAMPTON COURT ( PART--I )

Front View of the Hampton Court Palace

The Clock Court

      











     During my second visit to England I have got an opportunity to see one of the most beautiful royal palaces  where many important historic events happened and where so many artistic renovations took place during a period of nearly more than four hundred years. To reach Hampton Court by train, we have to get down at Waterloo Station and catch another train to travel fourteen miles and reach Hampton Court station. From here we have to walk just two hundred yards to reach the royal palace.

The Great Hall

The Gallery near the Royal Chapel

    

Surviving Kitchen room

  

The huge Fireplace

  This palace was actually meant for a Bishop's grand mansion with state apartments to entertain the royal guests. Cardinal Wolsey, a close friend and Chief Minister to King Henry VIII, took this site in 1514 and lavishly spent more than two lakh gold crowns over seven years to build this magnificent mansion to display his status and also to please the royal guests.After the completion of the building, King Henry VIII stayed as his guest. This mansion was built by the Italian craftsmen in Renaissance or Classical style blended with simple style of Gothic construction. In 1528 Cardinal Wolsey gave away his palatial residence to Henry VIII as he fell out of favor with the king in the matter of getting a divorce from his queen. In 1530 the Cardinal died. The first courtyard, and the inner gatehouse which leads to the clock court (second inner court) were built during the cardinal's lifetime. The base court had forty four rooms reserved for guests while the clock court contained state apartments for providing lodging to king and his family. At present a part of Wolsey's original palace is seen on the west end of the base court.Ann Boleyn's gate with the clock (Clock Court) is seen on the east end of the base court.

The Royal Chapel

The wooden beam construction

   

The Crown of Henry VIII

King Henry VIII
(1491--1547)

Cardinal Wolsey
(1473--1530)

Ornamental Brick Chimney

   

   

   Within six months after the death of the Cardinal , Henry re-built and expanded the mansion in Gothic style to accommodate and entertain himself and his courtiers numbering more than one thousand members. Though he owned over sixty houses and palaces, he found that they were not spacious enough to meet his requirements. He built very large kitchens comprising more than fifty rooms spreading over an area of 36,000 square feet with big cauldrons, ovens, and grates to cook meals for his royal guests and courtiers. We saw the huge logs of fire, huge  cooking vessels and chunks of meat, displayed as specimens for the tourists. The sounds of sawing and  chopping with hacking knives are echoed by sound equipment to suggest the large scale preparations made by chefs in those times. King Henry VIII added the Great Hall and the Royal Tennis Court between 1532 and 1535. The Great Hall has a carved hammer beam roof. He used to dine here seated at a table on a raised dais. It took five years to complete this spacious hall. The Gate House to the second inner court was adorned with an astronomical clock in 1540. The construction of the apartments for his queen Anne Boleyn above this gate was stopped when she was charged with infidelity and executed in 1536.          . 

     In 1537 King Henry's male heir Edward VI was born to Jane Seymour, (Henry's third wife) who died two weeks after childbirth in 1537. In 1541 Henry's queen Catherine Howard (Henry's fifth wife) , guilty of adultery, escaped from her room and ran through the gallery near the Royal Chapel to beg for mercy. But she was re-captured and sent to Syon House and later to Tower to be executed in 1542. In 1543 King Henry married his sixth wife, Katherine Parr in queen's closet adjoining the Royal Chapel in 1543.  In 1546 the British king arranged a grand feast for his French ambassador and the entourage of two hundred members along with his own court of thirteen hundred members for six days. A replica of the famous crown worn by Henry VIII is seen in the Royal Pew at Hampton Court Palace. The original crown was melted away at the Tower of London in 1649 on the orders of Oliver Cromwell signifying the abolition of monarchy during Republican rule.

    After the death of Henry VIII his son Edward VI and his sisters Mary (born to Katherine of Aragon, Henry's first wife) and Elizabeth (born to Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife) stayed in this palace after the untimely death of Edward VI in 1553. After her wedding at Winchester, Queen Mary returned with her Spanish husband King Philip to spend her honey moon here. Though she chose Hampton Court as the place for the birth of her child, she left after five months for the palace of Oatlands as she was far away from her royal supporters. Queen Elizabeth I did not make any improvements to this palace except the construction of the eastern kitchen which is at present used as Palace's Tea Room.


   In 1604 King James I (who succeeded to English throne after Elizabeth I ) held Hampton Court conference with Puritans here. Though no agreement was reached, this meeting led to the commissioning of King James Version of the Bible which was completed in 1611. James I held many parties and indulged in pleasures of hunting at this palace grounds. In the Great Hall many dramas and mask shows were performed. In 1603 and 1604 Shakespeare's Company presented shows before the royal audience. Queen Anne, wife of James I, died in this palace in 1619.

            

The Longford River

   Charles I (Son of King James I and Anne of Denmark) made this palace as his residence. He built a new tennis court and dug out the Longford canal which brings water still from a distance of eleven miles to power the fountains of Hampton Court's formal gardens. He also brought a large collection of paintings and sculptures from Europe. Charles I spent honeymoon with his fifteen-year old bride Henrietta Maria here in 1615.  Later during Republican revolution he was imprisoned here before his execution in 1649. The palace became the property of the Commonwealth government presided over by Oliver Cromwell. The Government auctioned many articles of the royal household, but had not caused any damage to the palace. After Restoration (1660) Charles II  (Son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, sister of the French King, Louis XIII) and James II ( successor to his brother Charles II ) preferred to stay elsewhere as by current French standards the Hampton Court seemed old-fashioned.

Paintings on ceiling of king's chamber

King's stairway

    

                   

















                             

Queen Mary II "s bed Room

Queen's staircase

   In 1689 England had two new monarchs , William , the Dutch Duke of Orange, and his wife Mary II (daughter of James II). They re-built the Hampton Palace demolishing the Tudor palace and replacing it with a huge modern palace built in Baroque style retaining Henry's Great Hall. Their plan of constructing a huge palace around two courtyards at right angles to each other was given up as the resemblance of the new palace to Versailles palace seemed too weak and not strong enough. Henry's state rooms and private apartments were lost. The new wings around the Fountain Court contained new state apartments and private rooms, one set for the king and another for the queen. Each suite of rooms was accessed by a separate staircase. The king's apartments face south over the privy garden while the queen's apartments face east over the fountain garden. These suits were linked by a gallery decorated with frescoes done by Antonio Verrio and the ironwork done by Jean Tijou. The room furnishings were done by Daniel Marot. The chocolate kitchen was built for William and Mary in 1689. His personal chocolate maker was Thomas Tosier who ran his his own chocolate house at Greenwich managed by his wife, Grace Tosier, Her portrait is now seen hung above the fireplace in the chocolate kitchen. The Hampton Court maze was planted by George London and Henry Wise between 1689 and 1695. It covers nearly one third of an acre and contains half a mile of winding ways. After the death of Queen Mary in 1694, William lost interest in renovation and the construction work came to a halt. Later his sister-in-law, Queen Anne, undertook the completion and decoration of the state apartments.

William's state chamber

Queen's Private Dining Room

      
    

 

The Guard's chamber

The Beautiful garden before fountain court

The Garden Maze

The Chocolate Room

                                  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

      9th July, 2015                                                           Somaseshu Gutala

Our First Day In London

 


   




                                   








As soon as we landed we looked for assistance to carry our heavy luggage. But to my surprise I found six more aged persons whose physical condition demanded more priority for assistance. A pretty Indian lady ushered us into her battery-driven van along with our hand luggage, and drove us through the long corridor up to the help-desk counter. On proceeding to help desk,  the lady at the counter asked us to go to the luggage claim counter which was not far away since there were not many assistants available at that rush hour. She gave us each a placard with words "Assistance" boldly printed on it. So we were given preference to get our immigration check on fast track route.Thank God, otherwise we would have to stand in the long circuitous queue which might have taken not less than two hours to go through the process. Unlike in India, we did not find porters or assistants to help us though we saw some boards with labels "Porters". Some old people were given wheel chairs to push their oldest parents up to the baggage claim counter. As it was not far away, I thought it would be better to go with people instead of waiting there for wheel chairs to arrive. As we were thinking how to lift our heavy luggage from the revolving belt, a hefty Englishman and an Indian Sikh obliged our request to help us in transferring our luggage from the moving belt and placing it on the trolley. They politely declined when we offered some amount. We thanked them profusely for their service, which is in true sense, earnest help done without expecting anything in return. I reflected when this type of attitude would be seen in our country, which would create a very noble impression about Indians on the minds of foreign tourists.


  

                 

   








   As we came out relieved after this tiresome waiting, we were cordially welcomed and were taken to the new residence of my daughter. On the way I found not much that has altered. London appeared in  her usual customary setting  with small houses surrounded by neat front yards filled with roses, violets, orchids  and other flowering plants. The cold weather typical of her climate touched my cheeks again. On both sides of the roads I saw dense greenery with large trees and thick bushes loaded with flowers untouched by any person.  All the doors of the houses remained closed. Only the long chimneys and gabled roofs welcomed us in their own silent style. Old ladies were slowly moving on pavements carrying bags to buy some provisions in the departmental stores.  Some were using battery-driven conveyances  as they were too old or physically disabled to walk by themselves. We saw a few young mothers gently pushing prams with babies sitting quietly like dolls strapped to their seats. Probably it may be to expose those little ones to warm sunlight or may be to expose them to the weather outside so that their delicate bodies may get acclimatized to the cold London weather. We also found many women taking their pet dogs for a walk either on the roads or in the parks. We saw many young children playing in the play ground. But nobody cared to noticed our brown faces.  In brief, a distanced attitude of self-occupied  demeanor-- the prominent feature of the present modern civilization. Thus ended our first day in London. 

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              5th July, 2015                                                                Somaseshu Gutala