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Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a London borough in South London London, England, which forms part of Outer London....
 in South West London
South West London

South West London could refer to:*SW postcode area*western part of South London*South West ...
. Kew is best known for being the home of the Royal Botanic Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are extensive gardens and Greenhouses between Richmond, London and Kew in southwest London, England....
 (now a world heritage site). Other points of interest include Kew Palace
Kew Palace

Three buildings at Kew, which is now a western suburb of London, have been known as Kew Palace. One of them survives and is open to visitors....
 and The National Archives (previously known as the Public Records Office).

Kew village refers to several attractive parades of shops adjoining Kew Gardens station. It contains a mixture of independent retailers, several restaurants, including the well-reviewed The Glasshouse, and numerous cafes.






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Encyclopedia


Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a London borough in South London London, England, which forms part of Outer London....
 in South West London
South West London

South West London could refer to:*SW postcode area*western part of South London*South West ...
. Kew is best known for being the home of the Royal Botanic Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are extensive gardens and Greenhouses between Richmond, London and Kew in southwest London, England....
 (now a world heritage site). Other points of interest include Kew Palace
Kew Palace

Three buildings at Kew, which is now a western suburb of London, have been known as Kew Palace. One of them survives and is open to visitors....
 and The National Archives (previously known as the Public Records Office).

Kew village refers to several attractive parades of shops adjoining Kew Gardens station. It contains a mixture of independent retailers, several restaurants, including the well-reviewed The Glasshouse, and numerous cafes. Most of Kew developed in the late 19th century, following the arrival of the District Line
District Line

The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels....
 of the Underground
London Underground

The London Underground is a metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK....
, and is characterised by large detached or semi-detached houses. It is a popular (and expensive) residential area because of its transport links and proximity to Kew Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are extensive gardens and Greenhouses between Richmond, London and Kew in southwest London, England....
.

Among those buried at Saint Anne's Church, Kew, are Richard Levett
Richard Levett

Sir Richard Levett , Sheriff, Alderman and Lord Mayor of London, was one of the first governors of the Bank of England, an adventurer with the Honourable East India Company and the proprietor of the trading firm Sir Richard Levett & Company....
, Lord Mayor of London and former owner of Kew Palace
Kew Palace

Three buildings at Kew, which is now a western suburb of London, have been known as Kew Palace. One of them survives and is open to visitors....
 and members of his family, including Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are Call to the bar....
 barrister Levett Blackborne, who sold Kew Palace
Kew Palace

Three buildings at Kew, which is now a western suburb of London, have been known as Kew Palace. One of them survives and is open to visitors....
 to the Royal family. Also buried at Saint Anne's are William Aiton
William Aiton

William Aiton was a Scotland botanist.Aiton was born near Hamilton, Scotland. Having been regularly trained to the profession of a gardener, he travelled to London in 1754, and became assistant to Philip Miller, then superintendent of the Chelsea Physic Garden....
, first keeper of the gardens at Kew; English portrait and landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough

Thomas Gainsborough was one of the most famous portrait and landscape Painting of 18th century Kingdom of Great Britain....
; Sir William Hooker
William Jackson Hooker

Sir William Jackson Hooker, Fellow of the Royal Society was an English botany....
, director of the Royal Gardens at Kew, and father of English botanist and explorer Joseph Dalton Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker

Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, Order of Merit, Order of the Star of India, Order of the Bath, Doctor of Medicine, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England botanist and explorer....
; Rev. Thomas Haverfield, chaplain to the Duke of Sussex
Duke of Sussex

Duke of Sussex is a peerage title that was conferred to the sixth son of George III of the United Kingdom. He was created Duke of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Arklow in the Peerage of the United Kingdom on 27 November, 1801....
, a son of King George III; and Johann Zoffany
Johann Zoffany

Johann Zoffany, Zoffani or Zauffelij was a German Neoclassicism painter, active mainly in England. His works appear in many prominent British national galleries such as the National Gallery, London and the Tate Gallery....
, German neoclassical painter active in England.

Etymology

The name Kew is a combination of two words: the Old French
Old French

Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
 kai (landing place; 'quay' derives from this) and Old English
Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
 hoh (spur of land). The land spur is the bend in the Thames. The name was recorded in 1327 as Cayho.

Education


Transport and locale

The South Circular Road
A205 road

The A205 or South Circular Road is a direct route which crosses South London, United Kingdom, running from Woolwich in the east to the junction of the A406 road , the M4 motorway and the A4 road at Gunnersbury in the west....
 (the A205) passes through Kew, with Kew Road providing the main road link to Richmond. The M4 motorway
M4 motorway

The M4 motorway is a motorway in Great Britain linking London with West Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Berkshire, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea....
 starts a short distance north of Kew, providing access to Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the largest and Busiest airports in the United Kingdom by total passenger traffic airport in the United Kingdom....
 and the west. The A316 road starts in Chiswick and continues over Chiswick bridge and junctions with the south circular at Chaulker's corner.

In the 17th Century, the Kings Road was created by Charles II
Charles II of England

Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
 to travel to Kew and Hampton Court. It remained the Kings Private Road until 1830. However, people with the right connections were able to obtain a pass to use it. By the 1960s the King's Road had become famous for its fashionable boutiques and its association with the Swinging Sixties.

Since 1869 rail services have been available from Kew Gardens station, with services from both London Underground
London Underground

The London Underground is a metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK....
 and National Rail
National Rail

National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies. ATOC is an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger Train Operating Company of Great Britain which now run the passenger services previously provided by the British Railways Board ....
. Nearest places
  • Brentford
    Brentford

    Brentford is a suburb of the London Borough of Hounslow at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent in West London, situated 8 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
  • Richmond
  • Gunnersbury
    Gunnersbury

    Gunnersbury is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow, West London. It is a small area less than half a square kilometre within the west area of the Chiswick W4 postal district of London....
  • Chiswick
    Chiswick

    Chiswick is an affluent area of West London, located west of Charing Cross, which covers the eastern part of the London Borough of Hounslow....
  • Mortlake
    Mortlake

    Mortlake is a district of London, England and part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London with East Sheen inland to the south....
  • Barnes
Nearest tube station
  • Kew Gardens station
Bridges
  • Kew Bridge
    Kew Bridge

    Kew Bridge is a bridge in London over the River Thames. The present bridge was designed by John Wolfe-Barry and opened in 1903. The bridge was given...
    , which carries the A205 South Circular Road. Beside the bridge is Kew Gardens Pier, which serves tourist ferries operating under license from London River Services
    London River Services

    London River Services is a division of Transport for London , which manages passenger transport on the River Thames in London, United Kingdom. They do not own or operate any boats but license the services of other operators....
    .
  • Kew Railway Bridge
    Kew Railway Bridge

    Kew Railway Bridge spans the River Thames between Kew and Strand-on-the-Green, Chiswick. The bridge was designed by W.R. Galbraith and built by Thomas Brassey & Ogilvie for the London and South Western Railway....


Quotes

I am His Highness' dog
Dog

The dog is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties....
 at Kew;
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?
Epigram, engraved on the Collar of a Dog which I gave to his Royal Highness (Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales

The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the Kingdom of Hanover and British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II of Great Britain and father of George III of Great Britain....
)— Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope is generally regarded as the greatest England poet of the eighteenth century, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer....
, 1688-1744

'Trams and dusty trees.
Highbury bore me. Richmond and Kew
Undid me.' The Waste Land, 1922 (T.S.Eliot), 1888-1965

Go down to Kew in lilac-time, in lilac-time, in lilac-time;
Go down to Kew in lilac-time (it isn't far from London!)
And you shall wander hand in hand with love in summer's wonderland ;
Go down to Kew in lilac-time (it isn't far from London!) The Barrel-Organ, Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes

Alfred Noyes was an England poet, best known for his ballads The Highwayman and The Barrel Organ....
, 1880 - 1958

Sport and Leisure

Kew has several sport clubs and gym's including Putney Town Rowing Club
Putney Town Rowing Club

Putney Town Rowing Club is a rowing club on the tideway, the tidal reach of the River Thames in England. Its official Amateur Rowing Association registered colours are navy and white....
 and Richmond gymnastics association.

Gallery


External links