Another late entry. I visited Kew garden with my husband last Saturday (6/6/2015) and didn't get to write an entry due to extreme exhaustion :-) So here goes.........
It's finally Saturday and I'm so excited!!! We're going to Kew Garden today. Been planning this for weeks.
It's finally Saturday and I'm so excited!!! We're going to Kew Garden today. Been planning this for weeks.
We went out approximately 11 am (late, I know). Took the DLR and got off at Bank station. But surprise, surprise, when we arrived, we saw a sign stating that the Monument station was close. So, we decided to catch a District line train from Tower Hill station. So, we took the DLR again back to Shadwell and change for Tower gateway train. But......the Tower Hill station was close too!!!! I felt so silly for not checking the tube status before we went out. Rookie mistake! Hence, onto the DLR again to Shadwell, to catch the Overground train to Kew Garden. Surprisingly, there were no closures on the Overground line. Normally, there'll be massive closures on the Overground line during weekends. There's no direct route from Shadwell to Kew, so we need to change at Cannonbury for train towards Richmond.
It's mid-day when we reached Kew station. There were a lot of people trying to get out from the small station. Once, we are out of the station, we followed the signage to Kew Garden. It took us up a crossing bridge to the other side of the station and walked for another good 10 minutes before we reached the front gate.
I saw lots of people queueing outside its gate. Lucky, I decided to buy the tickets online. If you buy the tickets online, you need to print it out and they'll just scan it at the gate. No more queuing! Oh, and the ticket cost 14 pounds if you buy it online compared to 16 pounds at the gate. Save time and money, what more do you need?
We were so rushed trying to get to Kew as fast as we can (the park/garden close at 6 pm), that when we passed the gate we were quite a loss on where to start. We only have like 5 hours to cover the vast park so hubby became the time keeper. We tried our best to visit all the attractions in the park.
Palm House
It was built in 1844 and has been in the park for 160 years. Impressive! It houses palms & other tropical trees from around the world. I'm from tropical climate country and most of the plants in there were familiar to me. But it's still fascinating to see it. I saw a Durian tree but no durian fruit! I guess they alter the tree DNA or something so that it won't have fruit. Just imagine a thorny durian fall on visitors, that would be a disaster. I saw a person fascinated with a banana tree. I used to ignore the banana trees at my grandma's house but here people are fascinated by it. I should be grateful that I grew up knowing the things that I knew. I'll definitely teach my future children to be one with the nature. The glasshouse was so hot inside, that I felt like melting. Once, I stepped out of it, I felt so relieved. I wonder how it will be in the peak of summer heat.
There's another large glasshouse in the park, the Temperate House. It's the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. Unfortunately, it's currently being restored and will only re-open in 2018.
Waterlily House
Next to the Palm House, is the Waterlily House. It was built in 1852 to house the natural wonder, the giant waterlily, Victoria Ammonica. There were also other beautiful waterlilies in there as well. It was a joy to take pictures of the flowers.
Pagoda
In the middle of a Victorian park there it was a Pagoda stood 10-storey high. It was built in 1762 as a gift for Princess Augusta, the founder of Kew Garden (I think!). But you can't enter the pagoda, though. It's close to public. It was almost 3pm and we decided to stop for a quick lunch at the pagoda. Lucky we bought lunch with us, as the food in the cafe were so expensive. My time-keeper hubby told me that we only can sit for 10 minutes, oh boy how annoying. Well, the reason that we went out late this morning was because hubby woke up late and I had to wait for him to get ready. Plus, the back and forth in the DLR trying to find your way to Kew took away precious time. Ok, enough with the nagging :-)
There's a Japanese Gateway and garden near the Pagoda complete with a Chokushi-Mon, a replica of the gateway of the Imperial Messenger in Kyoto.
Xstrata treetop walkway
Next, is the treetop walk. The walkway is 18m above ground and 200m long. It was opened in 2008, quite recent. We took the stairs to top, what a mistake. I was out of breath when I reached the top. There's a lift if you're wondering, do take those. It was a windy day and the walkway do sway a little bit and you can see the bottom when you walked along the walkway. It's quite scary if you're afraid of heights like me. I ended up clutching my hubby's hand and walked really fast to the end. Hubby didn't get to enjoy the scenery that much 'cause I kept whining. Sorry love.
Princess of Wales Conservatory
The conservatory was opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales. It houses various plants especially cactuses. Lots of weird looking cactuses. If you love orchids, there are various species on display as well.
Sackler crossing
It was built in 2006. The bridge is quite unique because as you approach the crossing, you can see as if there's solid walls on both sides. But, if you see it on the side, the was is almost invisible. You need to see it to appreciate. My picture does not do it justice.
Kew Palace
The centrepiece of the park, the Kew Palace. It was built in 1631 as a country retreat for George III. He and Queen Charlotte spent their summer with their 15 children. It was also a refuge for George III during his infamous episodes of madness. Queen Charlotte died here in 1818, and since then the house was closed up. It was only re-opened 80 years later but it was in a really bad shape. It has been restored since. It was quite a small house, I wonder how noisy it was with 15 children inside.
In the middle of a Victorian park there it was a Pagoda stood 10-storey high. It was built in 1762 as a gift for Princess Augusta, the founder of Kew Garden (I think!). But you can't enter the pagoda, though. It's close to public. It was almost 3pm and we decided to stop for a quick lunch at the pagoda. Lucky we bought lunch with us, as the food in the cafe were so expensive. My time-keeper hubby told me that we only can sit for 10 minutes, oh boy how annoying. Well, the reason that we went out late this morning was because hubby woke up late and I had to wait for him to get ready. Plus, the back and forth in the DLR trying to find your way to Kew took away precious time. Ok, enough with the nagging :-)
There's a Japanese Gateway and garden near the Pagoda complete with a Chokushi-Mon, a replica of the gateway of the Imperial Messenger in Kyoto.
Xstrata treetop walkway
Next, is the treetop walk. The walkway is 18m above ground and 200m long. It was opened in 2008, quite recent. We took the stairs to top, what a mistake. I was out of breath when I reached the top. There's a lift if you're wondering, do take those. It was a windy day and the walkway do sway a little bit and you can see the bottom when you walked along the walkway. It's quite scary if you're afraid of heights like me. I ended up clutching my hubby's hand and walked really fast to the end. Hubby didn't get to enjoy the scenery that much 'cause I kept whining. Sorry love.
Princess of Wales Conservatory
The conservatory was opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales. It houses various plants especially cactuses. Lots of weird looking cactuses. If you love orchids, there are various species on display as well.
Sackler crossing
It was built in 2006. The bridge is quite unique because as you approach the crossing, you can see as if there's solid walls on both sides. But, if you see it on the side, the was is almost invisible. You need to see it to appreciate. My picture does not do it justice.
Kew Palace
The centrepiece of the park, the Kew Palace. It was built in 1631 as a country retreat for George III. He and Queen Charlotte spent their summer with their 15 children. It was also a refuge for George III during his infamous episodes of madness. Queen Charlotte died here in 1818, and since then the house was closed up. It was only re-opened 80 years later but it was in a really bad shape. It has been restored since. It was quite a small house, I wonder how noisy it was with 15 children inside.
The Orangery (1761)
There's an orangery next to the palace but there's a wedding happening, so we can't enter it. The building is very pretty and suitable for wedding and other events.
It was a pretty long day with lots of power walking involved. I suggest if you want to enjoy the park leisurely, do arrive early as the park opens at 9.30 am. I was quite exhausted at the end of the day that I spent the whole Sunday lying on the sofa.
There's an orangery next to the palace but there's a wedding happening, so we can't enter it. The building is very pretty and suitable for wedding and other events.
It was a pretty long day with lots of power walking involved. I suggest if you want to enjoy the park leisurely, do arrive early as the park opens at 9.30 am. I was quite exhausted at the end of the day that I spent the whole Sunday lying on the sofa.
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