ABOUT KEW GARDENS (PART--I I )

Elizabeth Gate

Victoria Gate

                   

Brentford Gate

    

Lion Gate

 There are four gateways or entrances to this Royal Botanical gardens. The main gate is "Elizabeth Gate",from where you can visit Kew Palace and Orangery Restaurant. "The Brentford Gate" faces the river Thames and from here you can approach the Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Near the "The Victoria Gate" there is Kew Explorer Service,Victoria Plaza and the Visitors'Center. Near "The Lion Gate" we can see the Japanese Pagoda and relax at the Pavilion Restaurant. We entered through Elizabeth Gate. At first we went to see the Kew Palace built by Samuel Fortrey,  a Dutch merchant in 1631. Later this was taken on lease by King George II in  1729. Later George III purchased this palace in 1781.This is the smallest palace  owned by royal family. It looked like an ordinary mansion with pretty furniture, paintings and 200-year old kitchen with utensils and crockery. At the rear side of the building there is the queen's garden with17th century medicinal plants grown in the small area. We can also see the library room of George III who was interested in collecting books. George IV was born here. Queen Charlotte with her fifteen children and husband used to spend her time when the king was not well.This palace is administered by Historic Royal Palaces. To commemorate the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of the bi-centenary celebrations of the Royal Botanical Kew Gardens in1959, a replica of the sundial of 17th century famous clock maker,Thomas Tompion, made by Martin Holden, was installed here at the entrance.

Kew Palace

Couch in Kew Palace

 

Kitchen, Kew Palace

Queen's Herbal Garden

                        






    Charlotte Cottage :  We had no time left to visit this thatched retreat of Queen Charlotte who used to come here with her husband and guests during her walks to take tea and refreshments. Set in the natural scenery it became a favorite spot for both the king and the queen. Inside we can find Hogarth prints, Chinese style chairs and bamboo- made furniture and the wall painting made by the George III's daughter, Princess Elizabeth. In the rear side there was a paddock where many exotic animals were used to be bred such as kangaroos, buffaloes, black swans and zebras. It looked like a small menagerie and  provided much entertainment to royal children. In 1806 this open space was converted into a garden with many beautiful flowering plants. The blue bell woods is a pretty sight to see.

Blue Bell Woods

Charlotte Cottage

Nash Conservatory and Orangery : Nash Conservatory was a beautiful glass house with ceiling windows  originally built in  Buckingham palace for hosting functions and parties. But this building was shifted to Kew Gardens brick by brick in 1836 by the orders of king William IV. This glass house with sufficient ventilation and gleaming floor has a capacity to accommodate nearly 200 people. At present it is used for organizing various civil functions , weddings and photography exhibitions. The orangerie was designed by the famous architect, William Chambers built this house citrus plants in 1761. But the room was too dark and was not convenient for the purpose. So the plants were removed by Sir William Hooker, Director of Kew Gardens to Kensington Palace in 1841. Later in 1862 it was converted into a timber museum. Afterwards it was used for holding various functions and parties. Ultimately in 1989 it was converted in to a restaurant where nearly 180 persons can celebrate parties or wedding ceremonies.

                                                                      

orangery Restaurant

Nash Conservatory

    








  The Tree Top Walkway : The Tree Top Walkway is another attractive feature added to this garden in. It is a hanging bridge, 59 feet above ground and is 660 feet long which will give you to get a panoramic view of the trees from an elevated level. There is a staircase with 118 steps to climb up to the walkway. There is lift facility for the  elderly and disabled visitors. This walkway was designed by Marks Barfield Architects (the designers of the famous "London Eye") in 2008. Nearly four hundred tons of steel were used to make this strong walkway supported with steel trusses and pylons.One can enjoy the biodiversity of woods with a variety of trees like sweet chestnut, lime, oak, and pine trees on which we can see various types of birds and insects. It is really a thrilling experience to view dense clusters of woods from such a height.

Tree Top Way

Japanese Pagoda

   








                                                             
             



The Japanese Pagoda :  This tall 163-feet high conical tree-like construction with ten octagonal storeys covered with ceramic tiles and adorned with wooden dragons painted in gold was designed by William Chambers in 1762. The staircase is in the middle having 253 steps. The wooden dragons were removed in 1784 during repairs. But efforts are on to restore these dragons in future to add more glory to this beautiful construction located amidst tall green trees.

The Japanese Gateway

The pink Rhododendron Plants

    




                    
 

Carved figures on Japanese Gateway

Statue of Shisa (Lion-dog) Near Victoria Gate

Water Trough, Garden of  Peace

Garden of Activity

  











  The Japanese Gateway or Gateway of the Imperial Messenger (Chokushi MON) :

 Another oriental decorative construction seen near this pagoda is the Japanese Gateway which was actually created for the Japan-British Exhibition held at White City in London in 1910. In 1911 it was dismantled and re-constructed on the mossy hill near the pagoda. This gateway or decorative entrance was a very near replica of the Gate of the Western  Temple of the Original Vow (Nishi Hongan-ji) situated in the Japanese town of Kyoto. This type of ornate gateway, a symbol of power, is seen at the entrance of fortress, temple or Shinto shrine. This Gateway was designed in late 16th century Japanese style called Japanese rococo. Repairs were undertaken in 1936 and in 1957 to protect this gateway. Ultimately with Japanese help and collaboration in 1995, this gateway was restored to its original appearance and was opened for visitors in 1996. This gateway has an arched roof with curved edges at the end with wooden carvings on all sides. The wooden panels have carved animals, flowers and intricate artistic designs. It serves as a complement to the Japanese landscape (spread over 5000 sq.meters) which was laid out in 1996. Around this gateway one can see a very fascinating view of typical Japanese trees like the cherry trees with snow-white blossoms, pink rhododendrons and Japanese cypress trees (hinoki). The main entrance leads to the Garden of Peace where you can see stone lanterns and dripping water basin. The stone lantern indicates a ceremonial welcome and water trough indicates purification. Next you have to tread on a row of stone slabs which indicate your detachment from worldly worries. Next you pass on to the Garden of Harmony which is represented by short Japanese plants like purple hydrangeas, balloon flowers and Japanese anemones. Hidden among the bushes there is a stone block with a Japanese Haiku engraved on it. The Japanese poet Kiyoshi Takahama composed this Haiku in 1936. An English version is seen on a stone tablet nearby which reads  "Even sparrows / Freed from all fear of man/ England in spring. Next you will find the Garden of Activity  (natural world) represented by gravel and pebbles which indicate the movement of the flowing streams and waterfalls. The rocks among the gravel represent a turtle and a crane, symbols of good luck and long life. The Garden of Harmony links both the Gardens of Peace and Activity.Near the Victoria Gate one can see two huge statues of lion-dogs (Shisas) overlooking a lake in front of them.

  

Stone Lantern,Garden of Peace 

Garden of Harmony

               











 
There are so many wonderful sites and spots to explore in this arboreal heaven. But constraints of time made us view only a few of these botanical spots. The Rhizotron, designed by Marks Barfield Architects, gives you a unique opportunity of going underground and view the underworld of trees, the development of trees and the microorganisms that thrive in the soil. Likewise the Bonsai trees in the Bonsai House provide you to see the miniature forms of tall growing trees like conifers, maples, beech, oak, Japanese white pine and Chinese quince.The Sackler Crossing is a bridge made of granite and bronze connecting the Temperate and Evolution Houses. This was opened in 2006. Finally the Kew Explorer is a 72-seater road train operated by gas. You can settle down and comfortably on the seats and view the scenery as the train winds its way through the green expanse of dense wooded garden and listen to the commentary given by the driver. In brief if you ever go to London , don't miss the opportunity of visiting this marvelous garden. You would love to see it again and again.

             7th August, 2015                                                      Somaseshu Gutala                                          

  

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