Images Dated 2015

William Thiselton Dyer

On becoming Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, William Thiselton-Dyer appointed himself Inspector of the Kew Constabulary, a title that is still held by serving directors. He acquired a constabulary uniform, as seen in this photograph

© RBG KEW

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William Dallimore

William Dallimore (1871-1959), known to his colleagues as "good old Dallimore" was a well-liked and long serving member of staff at RBG Kew for more than 45 years. He joined Kew as a student gardener in 1891, aged 20, and worked in the Palm House, the tropical Propagating Pits and the Arboretum, of which he became foreman (now termed curator) in 1901. This undated photograph shows him as a young man, possibly in his student days, carrying tree-pruning equipment. He later became Keeper of the Museums, established the Wood Museum and supervised the development of the National Pinetum at Bedgebury. He was regarded as one of the leading authorities on trees and shrubs in the UK

© RBG KEW

The Kew Gardens Question

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. Officially, only botanist and botanical artists were allowed morning access, with the Director's permission. The Kew Gardens Public Rights Defence Association was set up and successfully campaigned against this. The author of the article accompanying this cartoon smuggled himself into a morning session at the Gardens and claimed that those eminent botanists inside were mostly fast asleep in garden chairs and other gentlemen were "engaged in testing the effects of cigar smoke on open-air evergreens."

© RBG KEW