History Gallery

Kewites and wives Kampala, Uganda, 1923

This group photograph of "Kewites and wives" was taken in Kampala, Uganda, in 1923. Second from the right: John Davenport Snowden, with his wife, centre. Arthur Marshall (back row far right) was the pony boy in Kew Gardens but after attending lectures he obtained the Kew certificate and was elected honorary member of the Ugandan Branch; his wife is seated in front of him. The third woman, Dorothy Halkerston, sits in front of her husband Donald Halkerston, chair of the Ugandan Branch of the Kew Guild

© RBG KEW

The Rhododendron Dell, Kew Gardens

19th century photograph of The Rhododendron Dell, Kew Gardens. Originally Capability Brown's "Hollow Walk" it was created in 1773 and planted with rhododendrons in 1850. In 1911 Ernest Wilson's rhododendrons were also added. Today, the dell is the only surviving piece of Capability Brown's landscaping of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

© RBG KEW

Cultivation of Cinchona succirubra trees on the Madulsima Cinchona Cos estate, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1882

Cultivation of Cinchona succirubra trees on the Madulsima Cinchona Cos estate, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1882. The plants pictured are 8 -10 years old. The outer bark has been shaved and the trunks covered with grass to encourage the regrowth of the bark, from which quinine alkaloids were extracted for use as a malaria medicine

© RBG KEW