What is it?
Hidden inside Kew’s world-famous Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew Palace is one of London’s lesser-known royal residencies.
A pretty, red-brick villa built as a riverside country residence for a Flemish merchant in 1631, the house had a succession of tenants before George II’s wife Caroline decided to purchase it as a home for the couple’s three eldest daughters when the royal family was in residence at the nearby Richmond Lodge.
It was George II’s son, Prince Frederick, and later Frederick’s widow, Augusta, who began cultivating the gardens that would eventually become one of London’s four World Heritage Sites, but Kew Palace truly came into its own during the reign of their son, who grew up at Kew and made it a home for his own family.
A keen astronomer, George III had an observatory installed while his wife Queen Charlotte added to the gardens with a rustic-style cottage which the family used as a picnic retreat.
Why go?
With entry to Kew Palace included in admission to the Royal Botanical Gardens, it’s well worth a visit for a rare glimpse into family life among kings, queens, princes and princesses.
Visitors can see the fashionable Georgian decor of the Princesses’ rooms, George III’s library, and the vast Royal Kitchens once staffed by thirty cooks and virtually untouched since they fell out of use in the early 19th century.
Also on display are a series of artefacts telling the fascinating and often tragic story of George III’s life, including the times when he was deemed ‘mad’ whilst likely suffering from porphyria, and was incarcerated at Kew while undergoing treatments including leechings and doses of emetics containing arsenic.
Don’t miss:
A wax bust of George III on display in the monarch’s library is well worth a look. It was made in 1996 using an original mould from Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. The mould was crafted by Tussaud herself. She created the original waxwork ‘from life’ to celebrate the King’s Golden Jubilee in 1810.
When to visit:
Kew Palace is only open during the warmer months of the year, typically from Easter until the final weekend of September. During the open season it follows the same hours as the gardens, which can be found here.
Ticketing info:
Entry to Access to Kew Palace and the Royal Kitchens is included with a ticket to Kew Gardens. Tickets for the Royal Botanical Gardens can be purchased at the gate, or at a slightly discounted rate online in advance, and range from £12 to £22 depending on the season.
Time Out tip:
For an even greater insight into how the Georgian royals lived, be sure to check out some of the other buildings found around the gardens. These include Queen Charlotte’s cottage, a secluded ornamental cottage where the royals would take tea on walks through the gardens, and the 50-metre-tall Great Pagoda built in 1762 under the direction of Princess Augusta. Restored in 2018, the Grade I-listed structure is an impressive example of 18th-century chinoiserie, and visitors can climb its 253 steps for fabulous views over the gardens during summer months.