| KEW
GARDENS
Credit
for the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew largely belongs to
Augusta, Princess of Whales. Her husband Frederick's strained
relationship with his father George II meant the couple
were not welcome at St James's Palace or Hampton Court,
so subsequently they spent a great deal of time at the White
House at Kew. The Prince's mother, Queen Caroline, had a
house nearby, on land that belonged to Richmond Palace;
and her children inherited her love of gardening, especially
Frederick, who called in William of Kent to restore the
house and lay the grounds. After Frederick's death in 1751,
Augusta continued the work, extending the landscaping and
employing Sir William Chambers as her architectural advisor.
A few magnificent trees planted by the Princess still stand,
as do several of Chamber's 18th-century buildings, among
them the Temple of Arethusa and the Pagoda.
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