Botanical Gardens Collection

The Tea House, Kew Gardens, which opened in 1888, seen here before it was burned down by members of the womens suffrage movement as part of their campaign

Waterlily Pond, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ca 1900
The waterlily pond, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ca 1900. The pond was one of Sir William Thiselton-Dyers additions, heated by condensed steam from the local water supply

The Birdman, Mr Allaway, 1901
The Birdman, Mr Allaway feeding penguin outside Museum No. 1 - 1901. In 1899 three penguins were presented to Kew by Albert Linney

Japanese Gateway, Kew Gardens c. 1910
Model of the Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger), better known as the Japanese Gateway, gifted to Kew after its inclusion in the Japan-British exhibition held at Shepherds Bush in 1910

The Kew Gardens Question. This political cartoon was published in 1878 as part of the ongoing debate as to whether the public should be allowed into the gardens in the mornings, before 1pm

Kew Pagoda from the Refreshment Pavillion

The arrival of the flagstaff off the Sion Vista, Kew, circa 1916
The arrival of the flagstaff off the Sion Vista, Kew: " accepting delivery", circa 1916. Gifted by the Provincial Governement of British Columbia, it was towed along the Thames by tug boat

Joey the Stanley Crane, Kew Gardens
Joey the Stanley Crane was a well-known Kew personality. In 1935 The Journal of the Kew Guild described his eventful life, which included losing a toe to a lawn mower

Aircraft crash, Kew, 1928
On the 16th August, 1928, a single seater Siskin aircraft came down in flames to the west of the Syon Vista, Kew Gardens, during an aerial display

Burnt remains of the Refreshment Pavilion, Kew Gardens, 1913
In 1913 the tea pavilion at Kew Gardens was burnt down by members of the womens suffrage movement as part of their campaign

Felled tree for Kew Flagstaff, British Columbia, 1914
British COlumbia 1914: The felled tree which was to form the great flagstaff at RBG Kew from 1919 to 1959. Made from a Douglas fir

The Great Flagstaff, RBG Kew, ca. 1900-1905
Photograph of The Great Flagstaff at RBG Kew, flying the Union Flag, ca. 1900-1905. It stood until August 2007

Kew Flag pole en route from Vancouver, 1915
The great Kew flagstaff is seen here en route from Vancouver aboard the SS Merionethshire, arriving at Tilbury Docks on 29 December 1915

Aircraft emergency landing, Kew, 1938
On 5th January 1938 an aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing near the Palm House, Kew. It had been pulling an advertising banner

Stereograph, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
This stereograph of the interior of one of the T-Range glasshouses shoes a sign requesting visitors to keep to the right and to refrain from touching the plants

Kew Green, Richmond, at the end of the August Bank Holiday, 1926
Kew Green, Richmond, at the end of the August Bank Holiday celebrations, 1926. William Dallimore, Keeper of the Museums of Economic Botany, Kew Gardens, described a Bank Holiday in the 1890 s

Amorphophallus titanum flowering, 1901
The Titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum is known as the corpse flower in its native Indonesia because of the rancid smell, described by Curtiss Botanical magazine as a mixture of rotten fish

Kew Road and Entrance to Kew Gardens
A horse-drawn trolley bus and a horse and cart in Kew Road, close to the entrance of Kew Gardens. Trolley buses such as these ran from the Orange Tree public house near Richmond Station to Kew Bridge

Kew Pier and steam boat
Steam boats were introduced in 1816. Initially they went straight to Richmond without stopping at Kew but eventually a stop at Kew Pier was added

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