kew jump
With tropical gardens, sky-high views and even the occasional butterfly or fifty, you’ll struggle to fit Kew Gardens into one day, says Kieran Meeke
The Royal Botanic Gardens, also known as Kew Gardens, bears its history lightly. From quinine to tea to a cure for malaria, Kew has played a major part in their propagation and is duly recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.Not that the kids will care much. Kew’s Rhizotron will take them underground to explore the world of tree roots before heading upwards on the 59-foot-high Xstrata Treetop Walkway, with thrilling views of the London skyline and Kew itself.Self-guided tours — or one of the regular tours with a Kew guide — will also open up the natural world to you. Discover the rare orchids in the steamy Princess of Wales Conservatory or count the 600 varieties of grasses in the Grass Garden. Evolution House displays the progress of plantlife on Earth while, in the indoor play zone, the under-nines can wiggle through tunnels and slide down a giant pitcher plant. Outside, Treehouse Towers has giant swings, zip wires, scramble nets and slides.
Image: RBG Kew
To make way for St Pancras Station, a graveyard was demolished and 8,000 bodies removed. You can still see a pile of the old gravestones at St Pancras New Church by the Hardy Tree.
