About 30 of us were greeted by the Minerva Network Manager on a bright dry morning, which wasn’t too hot – both essential requisites for a successful visit to Kew Gardens.  After gathering for coffee & biscuits and making ourselves acquainted with one another in the beautiful setting of the Orangery, we headed out for our tour of the palace.

The Palace is a new attraction in that it has been subject of great restoration and refurbishment, and has recently been opened to the public.  It is the smallest and most intimate of the royal palaces. The four-storey brick house was built c. 1631 by Samuel Fortrey, a merchant of Dutch origin. It is constructed of red bricks laid in a style known as Flemish bond, consisting of bricks arranged with sides and ends alternating. The gabled main front gives the house a Dutch appearance.   

First used by the Royal Family in 1728, the Palace was finally purchased by George III in 1781 as an annex to the White House to accommodate his expanding family, subsequently becoming a more permanent home for the Royal Family. Queen Charlotte, died here in 1818.

The palace has now reopened to the public after a widely acclaimed restoration. The palace tells the story of George III and his family at rest and at play. Among other rooms, you are invited to explore the unique second floor of the palace, the bedroom floor – untouched for 200 years.  It is an inter-active self-guided tour which really succeeded in bringing the atmosphere of King George’s home and family to life – and created a wonderful sense of his humility in his outlook and his style of living.  It was so absorbing that many of us spent two hours touring the Palace!   A most rewarding visit.

After lunch we had the most interesting guided tour of some elements of the gardens which might not have been seen without a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide volunteer.  There is much training of student gardeners – whose plots we visited – and great works of cataloguing of species being undertaken all the time.  Histories of plants are preserved and recorded, and where there is a living specimen still surviving it is nurtured and protected.  Wonderful work!

This left us time (if we still had the energy!) to browse around the seasonally ever-changing displays.  It was a wonderful visit, beautifully organised, and enjoyed and appreciated by all who attended.

Patricia Bryce (Streatham & Clapham 1939-49)