London. Kew Gardens

The wedding is over and the big debate about its significance has begun.  Is this really the "new" royalty or is it just conservative wolves in sheep's clothing?  What is the significance of the fact that Tony Blair wasn't invited?  It is all food for the pundits but for us mere mortals, a bus ride down to the Abbey was worth taking just to see the aftermath of the big day.  Two things struck us immediately.  First, a tremendous effort had been made to clean up the mess that must inevitably have been left by well over a million people and second the desire of people to go to the Abbey to see the flowers and decorative arrangements from the wedding, particularly the bridal bouquet which is traditionally left on the tomb of the unknown warrior.

The lines of those waiting to be admitted stretched from the North Door of the Abbey out along Broad Sanctuary and right around Parliament Square.  At sixteen pounds a head, entry fee, the Abbey wasn't doing too badly.

Later in the day we headed off to Kew. This is a quaint little village with tea rooms and lovely detached and semi-detached houses.  It is within commuting distance of central London but appears to be the sort of place that only the wealthy can afford. 

A shady street in Kew

A quiet lunch in Kew

Of course it is the Royal Botanic Gardens that is the great attraction of the area. The gardens  include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants in the world's largest collection, while the herbarium, which is one of the largest in the world as well, has over seven million preserved plant specimens.

Entrance to the Gardens

I wanted to go there to see the marvellous botanical paintings of Marianne North, a remarkable self-trained botanist and explorer.  Marianne North began her travels in 1871-1872, when she was already 40 years old.  She visited Canada, the United States and Jamaica and spent a year in Brazil in the depths of the forest. In 1875 she travelled around the world, and spent 1878 in India.

On her return to Britain she offered to give her collection of drawings and paintings to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and to erect a gallery to house them. This offer was accepted, an construction began that year.

1880 found her in Australia at the suggestion of Charles Darwin and then on to New Zealand. Her gallery at Kew was opened in 1882. In  1884-1885 she worked at Seychelles and in Chile. She died at home in Gloucestershire in August 1890.

Bust of Marianne North in her Gallery

The Gallery

Sign over entrance to the Gallery

Interior of the Gallery

But of course there is much more to see at the gardens.  The Temperate House, which was once the largest glasshouse in the world is still the largest surviving glass structure of the Victorian Era.

The Temperate House

Stairs in the Temperate House

In the Temperate House

There is also the Palm House which dates from the 1840s, but I have to confess that one of my favourite sights is just outside the Palm House where there is a row of fantastic mythological creatures.

The Palm House

Mythological Creatures

After Kew Gardens it was back to the hotel with a real sense of accomplishment.