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Kew () is a district in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is also the home of important historical documents such as Domesday Book, which is held at The National Archives.
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
may have forded the Thames at Kew in 54 BC during the Gallic Wars. Successive Tudor,
Stuart Stuart may refer to: Names * Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile *Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...
and Georgian monarchs maintained links with Kew. During the French Revolution, many refugees established themselves there and it was the home of several artists in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since 1965 Kew has incorporated the former area of North SheenBlomfield 1994, p.131 which includes St Philip and All Saints, the first barn church
consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
in England. Blomfield, David. ''The Story of Kew'', second edition, p.36, Leyborne Publications, 1996, It is now in a combined Church of England parish with St Luke's Church, Kew. Today, Kew is an expensive residential area because of its suburban hallmarks. Among these are sports-and-leisure open spaces, schools, transport links, architecture, restaurants, no high-rise buildings, modest road sizes, trees and gardens. Most of Kew developed in the late 19th century, following the arrival of the District line of the London Underground. Further development took place in the 1920s and 1930s when new houses were built on the market gardens of North Sheen and in the first decade of the 21st century when considerably more river-fronting flats and houses were constructed by the Thames on land formerly owned by Thames Water.


Etymology

The name Kew, recorded in 1327 as ''Cayho'', is a combination of two words: the Old French ''kai'' (landing place; " quay" derives from this) and
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''hoh'' (spur of land). The land spur is formed by the bend in the Thames.


Governance

Kew forms part of the Richmond Park constituency in the UK Parliament; the Member of Parliament is Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats. For elections to the
London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...
it is part of the South West London Assembly constituency, which is represented by Nicholas Rogers of the Conservative Party. Kew was added in 1892 to the Municipal Borough of Richmond which had been formed two years earlier and was in the county of
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, the Municipal Borough of Richmond was abolished. Kew, along with Richmond, was transferred from Surrey to the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
, one of 32 boroughs in the newly created
Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...
.


Economy

The fashion clothing retailer Jigsaw's headquarters are in Mortlake Road, Kew. A former industry in Kew was that of nameplate manufacturing, by the Caxton Name Plate Manufacturing Company, based on Kew Green. The company was founded in 1964 and folded in 1997. It was in Kew that viscose was first developed into
rayon Rayon is a semi-synthetic fiber, made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose. It is also called viscose. Many types and grades of viscose f ...
, in a laboratory near Kew Gardens station run by Cowey Engineering. Rayon was produced in a factory on South Avenue, off Sandycombe Road, before Courtaulds acquired the patents for rayon in 1904. Also on a site near Kew Gardens station, the engineering company F C Blake, now commemorated in the Kew street name Blake Mews, produced petrol-powered traction engines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.


Chrysler and Dodge

Currently, the Kew Retail Park stands on the site of a former aircraft factory established in 1918 by Harry Whitworth, who owned Glendower Aircraft Ltd. The factory built Airco DH.4s and Sopwith Salamanders for the British government in the First World War. In 1923 the now-redundant aircraft factory was sold and it became a factory for road vehicles. From the 1920s until 1967,
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
made lorries at this factory, with the model name Kew. Cars were also manufactured there. Dodge Brothers became a
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
subsidiary in 1928 and lorry production moved to Chrysler's car plant at Kew. In 1933 it began to manufacture a British
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
, at its works in Kew, using American engines and gearboxes. After
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
bought the Maxwell Motor Company and their Kew works, the cars of the lighter Chrysler range –
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
s, De Sotos and
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
s – were assembled at this Kew site until the Second World War. The various models of De Sotos were named ''Richmond, Mortlake and Croydon''; Plymouths were ''Kew Six'' and ''Wimbledon''. During the Second World War this Chrysler factory was part of London Aircraft Production Group and built Handley Page Halifax aircraft assemblies. When wartime aircraft production ceased, the plant did not resume assembly of North American cars.


People


Royal associations with Kew


The Tudors and Stuarts

Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester (c.1460–1526) was granted lands at Kew in 1517. When he died in 1526 he left his Kew estates to his third wife, Eleanor, with the remainder to his son George. In 1538 Sir George Somerset sold the house for £200 to Thomas Cromwell (c.1485–1540), who resold it for the same amount to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Brandon had probably already inhabited Kew during the life of his wife Mary Tudor, the daughter of Henry VII and widow of the French king Louis XII. According to John Leland's ''Cygnea Cantio'' ("Swan Song"), she stayed in Kew (which he refers to as "Cheva") for a time after her return to England. One of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
's closest friends, Henry Norris (c.1482–1536), lived at Kew Farm, which was later owned by Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1532–1588). This large palatial house on the Thames riverbank predated the royal palaces of Kew Palace and the White House. Excavations at Kew Gardens in 2009 revealed a wall that may have belonged to the property. In Elizabeth's reign, and under the Stuarts, houses were developed along Kew Green. West Hall, which survives in West Hall Road, dates from at least the 14th century and the present house was built at the end of the 17th century. Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I, later known as the "Winter Queen", was given a household at Kew in 1608. Queen Anne subscribed to the building of the parish church on Kew Green, which was dedicated to
St Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...
in 1714, three months before the Queen's death.


The Hanoverians

The Hanoverians maintained the strongest links with Kew, in particular Princess Augusta who founded the botanic gardens and her husband Frederick, Prince of Wales who lived at the White House in Kew. Augusta, as Dowager Princess of Wales, continued to live there until her death in 1721. Frederick commissioned the building of the first substantial
greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...
at Kew Gardens. In 1772 King George III and Queen Charlotte moved into the White House at Kew. Queen Charlotte died at the
Dutch House Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 130 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Steve Ao ...
in Kew in 1818. King William IV spent most of his early life at Richmond and at Kew Palace, where he was educated by private tutors.


Georgian expansion

During the French Revolution, many refugees established themselves in Kew, having built many of the houses of this period. In the 1760s and 1770s the royal presence attracted artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and
Johann Zoffany Johan Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections, includin ...
.Blomfield 1994, pp.43–45


Artists associated with Kew

*
Diana Armfield Diana Armfield RA (born 11 June 1920) is a British artist. She is known for landscapes, and has also painted portraits, literary subjects and still lifes. She has a particular interest in flower paintings, and is considered to owe much to th ...
RA (born 1920) lives in Kew. She is known for landscapes, and has also painted portraits, literary subjects and still lifes. She has a particular interest in flower paintings, and is considered to owe much to the tradition of Walter Sickert. * Franz (later Francis) Bauer (1758–1840) was an Austrian microscopist and botanical artist who became the first botanical illustrator at Kew Gardens. By 1790 he had settled at Kew, where as well as making detailed paintings and drawings of flower dissections, often at microscopic level, he tutored Queen Charlotte, her daughter Princess Elizabeth and William Hooker in the art of illustration, and often entertained friends and botanists at his home. He is buried at St Anne's, next to Thomas Gainsborough. * The American-born English artist
Walter Deverell Walter Howell Deverell (1827–1854) was a United States-born British artist, closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Biography Deverell was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, into an English family who moved back to Britain wh ...
(1827–1854), who was associated with the
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...
, lived at 352 Kew Road, then called Heathfield House. He had a
studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
at the end of the garden where there are now garages. In this setting he painted "The Pet". *
Bernard Dunstan Bernard Dunstan (19 January 1920 – 20 August 2017) was a British artist, teacher, and author, best known for his studies of figures in interiors and landscapes. At the time of his death, he was the longest serving Royal Academician. Life an ...
RA (1920–2017) lived in Kew. He was an artist, teacher, and author, best known for his studies of figures in interiors and landscapes. At the time of his death, he was the longest serving Royal Academician. *
George Engleheart George Engleheart (1750–1829) was one of the greatest England, English painters of portrait miniatures, and a contemporary of Richard Cosway, John Smart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse (painter), Richard Crosse. Family and home Engleheart ...
(1750–1829), who was born in Kew, was one of the greatest English painters of portrait miniatures. * Walter Hood Fitch (1817–1892), botanical illustrator, lived on Kew Green. * Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788) visited Kew many times, staying with his friend Joshua Kirby and, after Kirby's death, in a house probably rented by his daughter close to St Anne's Church, where he is buried. * Arthur Hughes (1832–1915), Pre-Raphaelite painter, lived and died at Eastside House, 22 Kew Green, Kew. The site is marked by a
blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
. * Joshua Kirby (1716–1774) was a landscape painter, engraver, and writer, whose main artistic focus was "linear perspective", based on the ideas of English mathematician
Brook Taylor Brook Taylor (18 August 1685 – 29 December 1731) was an English mathematician best known for creating Taylor's theorem and the Taylor series, which are important for their use in mathematical analysis. Life and work Brook Taylor w ...
. He was the son of topographer John Kirby, and the father of the writer Sarah Trimmer and the entomologist William Kirby. In 1760 he moved to Kew, where he taught linear perspective to George III.John Joshua Kirby
in the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History). Retrieved 24 December 2018.
He was a Fellow of the Royal Society. *Sir
Peter Lely Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618 – 7 December 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. Life Lely was born Pieter van der Faes to Dutch ...
(1618–1680), portrait painter, had a house on the north side of Kew Green. On almost exactly the same site, Jeremiah Meyer (1735–1789), miniaturist to Queen Charlotte and George III, built a house a century later. Meyer is buried at St Anne's. * Charles Mozley (1914–1991), artist and art teacher, lived and died at 358 Kew Road, Kew. *Victorian artist Marianne North (1830–1890) did not live in Kew, but she left to Kew Gardens her collection of botanic art, painted on her extensive overseas travels, and funded a gallery – the Marianne North Gallery – to house them. * French Impressionist painter
Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( , ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but t ...
(1830–1903) stayed in 1892 at 10 Kew Green, on the corner of Gloucester Road, which is marked by a blue plaque. During his stay he painted ''Kew Gardens – Path to the Great Glasshouse'' (189

''Kew Greens'' (189

and ''Church at Kew'' (189

His third son,
Félix Pissarro Félix Pissarro (also known by the pseudonym Jean Roch; 24 July 1874 – 29 November 1897) was a nineteenth-century French painter, etcher and caricaturist. Known as Titi in his family circle, he was the third son of the painter Camille ...
(1874–1897), painter, etcher and caricaturist, died in a sanatorium at 262 Kew Road in 1897. * Charles Shannon (1863–1937), artist best known for his portraits, died in Kew at 21 Kew Gardens Road. * Matilda Smith (1854–1926), the first official botanical artist of the Royal Botanic Gardens, lived at Gloucester Road, Kew. *The painter Johan Zoffany (1725–1810), who lived at
Strand-on-the-Green Strand-on-the-Green is one of Chiswick's four medieval villages, and a "particularly picturesque" riverside area in West London. It is a conservation area, with many "imposing" listed buildings beside the River Thames; a local landmark, the Ke ...
, is buried at St Anne's.


Other notable inhabitants


Historical figures

* William Aiton (1731–1793), botanist, was appointed director in 1759 of the newly established botanical garden at Kew, where he remained until his death. He effected many improvements at the gardens, and in 1789 he published ''
Hortus Kewensis ''Hortus Kewensis, or a Catalogue of the Plants Cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew'' by William Aiton was a 1789 catalogue of all the plant species then in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which constituted the vast majori ...
'', a catalogue of the plants cultivated there. When he died, he was succeeded as director at Kew Gardens by his son William Townsend Aiton (1766–1849), who was also botanist, and was born in Kew. William Townsend Aiton was one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society. He retired in 1841 but remained living at Kew, although passing much of his time with his brother at
Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
where he died in 1849. Both father and son lived at Descanso House on Kew Green and are buried in St Anne's churchyard where the substantial family tomb is a prominent feature. Inside the church there is also a memorial to them. * David Blomfield (1934–2016), leader of the Liberal Party group on Richmond upon Thames Council, writer, book editor and local historian, lived in Kew. * Richard Cook (1957–2007), jazz writer, magazine editor and former record company executive, was born in Kew. *
Stephen Duck Stephen Duck (c. 1705 – 21 March 1756) was an English poet whose career reflected both the Augustan era's interest in "naturals" ( natural geniuses) and its resistance to classlessness. Biography Duck was born at Charlton, near Pewsey, in Wi ...
(c.1705–1756), poet, lived in Kew. * Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau (1968–2013), brother of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, lived in Kew. * Liberal Party leader Jo Grimond (1913–1993) lived on Kew Green. * Sir William Hooker (1785–1865) and his son Sir Joseph Hooker (1817–1911), botanists and directors of Kew Gardens, lived at 49 Kew Green, Kew. The site is marked by a blue plaque. * John Hutchinson (1884–1972), botanist, lived on Kew Green, near Kew Gardens' Herbarium, during the Second World War. * Elinor May Jenkins (1893–1920) was a British war poet who lived at Sussex House, Kew. She is buried in Richmond Cemetery next to her brother
Arthur Lewis Jenkins Arthur Lewis Jenkins (1892 - 1917) was a British soldier, pilot and war poet. Early life He was born 9 March 1892, in Barton Regis, near Bristol, Gloucestershire. His parents were Sir John Lewis Jenkins KCSI (1857 - 1912), a civil servant ...
(1892–1917) who was also a poet. *
Alfred Luff Alfred Luff (5 April 1846 – 24 February 1933) was an English cricketer. Luff was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm roundarm fast. He was born at Kew, Surrey. Luff made three first-class appearances for Surrey in 1867, the f ...
(1846–1933),
cricketer Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
, was born in Kew. *
Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...
(1949–1986), Irish rock guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and leader of Thin Lizzy, lived in Kew. * Andrew Millar (1705–1768), Scottish bookseller and publisher, owned a country home on Kew Green. * Samuel Molyneux (1689–1728), Member of Parliament, and an amateur astronomer, who was married to Lady Elizabeth Diana Capel, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Essex, inherited Kew House on the death of Lady Capel of Tewkesbury. Molyneux set up an observatory at the house and collaborated there with James Bradley in innovative designs for reflecting telescopes. Kew House which later, as the White House, became the home of Prince Frederick and Princess Augusta, was pulled down in 1802 when George II's short-lived gothic "castellated palace" was built. * Desmond Morton (1891–1971), soldier, intelligence officer and personal assistant to
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, 1940–45, lived at 22 Kew Green 1952–71. *
Conrad Noel Conrad le Despenser Roden Noel (12 July 1869 – 22 July 1942) was an English priest of the Church of England. Known as the 'Red Vicar' of Thaxted, he was a prominent Christian socialist. Early life Noel was born on 12 July 1869 in Royal Cottage, ...
(1869–1942), Church of England priest and prominent British Christian socialist, was born in Royal Cottage, Kew Green. * Daniel Oliver (1830–1916), Professor of Botany at University College, London (1861–1888) and Keeper of the
Herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...
at Kew Gardens (1864–1890), who lived on Kew Green. *
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...
(1930–2008), playwright, dramatist, actor and director, lived at Fairmead Court, Taylor Avenue, Kew. *
Sir Hugh Portman, 4th Baronet Sir Hugh Portman, 4th Baronet (died 1632) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in two parliaments between 1625 and 1629. Portman was the son of Sir John Portman, 1st Baronet and his wife Anne Gifford, daughter of Sir Henr ...
(died 1632), MP for Taunton, lived in a house opposite Kew Palace. * Sir John Puckering (1544–1596), lawyer, politician, Speaker of the English House of Commons, and Lord Keeper from 1592 until his death, lived in Kew. * Anthony Saxton (1934–2015), advertising executive and
headhunter Headhunter or head hunter may refer to: * Headhunting, hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing them * Executive search, informally called headhunting, a specialized recruitment service Arts and entertainment Film and telev ...
, lived at 3 Mortlake Road in Kew, and was a churchwarden of St Anne's Church, Kew. *
John Smith John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to: People :''In chronological ...
(1798–1888), botanist, the first curator at Kew Gardens, lived on Kew Green. * John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713–1792), botanist and honorary director of Kew Gardens 1754–72, adviser to Princess Augusta and tutor to George III and, later, Prime Minister of Great Britain 1762–63, lived at King's Cottage, 33 Kew Green. * Patrick Troughton (1921–1987), actor, most famous for playing the Second Doctor in the TV series ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'', lived in Kew. *
George Vassila George Charles Vassila (21 August 1857 – 27 November 1915) was an English cricketer. Vassila was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast. He was born at Kew, Surrey. Vassila played a single first-class match for Middlesex in 18 ...
(1857–1915), cricketer, was born in Kew. * Andrew Watson (1856–1921), the world's first black person to play association football at international level, retired to London in around 1910 and died of pneumonia at 88 Forest Road, Kew in 1921. He is buried in Richmond Cemetery.


Living people

* Geoffrey Archer, fiction writer and former Defence Correspondent of
ITN Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, N ...
, lives in Kew. * Mick Avory, musician and former drummer with The Kinks, lives in Kew. *
Nick Baird Nick Baird CMG CVO (born 1962) is group corporate affairs director of energy firm, Centrica. Before that he was Chief Executive Officer of UK Trade & Investment. He is also a non executive director of NordAnglia inc, a Trustee of Kew Garden ...
, group corporate affairs director of energy firm
Centrica Centrica plc is a British multinational energy and services company with its headquarters in Windsor, Berkshire. Its principal activity is the supply of electricity and gas to consumers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is the largest su ...
, lives in Kew. * Ray Brooks, actor, lives in Kew. * Justin Lee Collins, comedian and television presenter, lives in Kew. * Sir David Durie, former Governor of Gibraltar, lives in Kew. * Simon Fowler, social historian and author, lives in Kew. * Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Channel 4 journalist, lives in Kew. * Sir Donald Insall, architect, conservationist and author, lives in Kew. *
Milton Jones Milton Hywel Jones (born 16 May 1964) is an English comedian. His style of humour is based on one-liners involving puns delivered in a deadpan and slightly neurotic style. Jones has had various shows on BBC Radio 4 and was a recurring guest pa ...
, comedian, was brought up in Kew. * Gabby Logan, TV presenter, and her husband
Kenny Logan Kenneth McKerrow Logan (born 3 April 1972) is a retired Scottish rugby union player who played wing for Stirling County RFC and Glasgow District at amateur level; Glasgow Warriors, Wasps RFC and London Scottish at professional level; an ...
, rugby player, live in Kew. * Serge Lourie, former Leader of Richmond upon Thames Council, and councillor for Kew for 28 years, lives in Kew. *
Steven McRae Steven McRae (born 19 December 1985) is an Australian ballet dancer and tap dancer. He is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, London.
, dancer with the Royal Ballet, lives in Kew. * Paul Ormerod, economist, lives in Kew. * Helen Sharman, the first British woman in space, lives in Kew. * Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge, former MP for Richmond Park, and a councillor for Kew for nine years, lives in Kew.


Demography

In the ten years from the time of the 2001 census, the population rose from 9,445 to 11,436, the sharpest ten-year increase in Kew since the early 20th century. This was partly accounted for by the conversion of former Thames Water land to residential use, and increases in property sizes. The figures are based on those for Kew ward, the boundaries of the enlarged parish having been adjusted to allow for all wards in the borough to be equally sized.


Homes and households


Ethnicity

In the 2011 census, 66.2% of Kew's population were White British. Other White was the second largest category at 16%, with 8.1% being Asian.


Transport

A main mode of transport between Kew and London, for rich and poor alike, was by water along the Thames which, historically, separated Middlesex (on the north bank) from
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
: Kew was also connected to
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
, Middlesex by ferry, first replaced by bridge in 1759. The current Kew Bridge, which carries the South Circular Road (the A205) was opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1903. The A205 road commencing there passes through Kew as a single carriageway. However Kew Road provides the main road link to Richmond. The
M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...
starts a short distance north of Kew, providing access to
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
and the west. The A316 road starts in Chiswick and continues over Chiswick Bridge and a complex junction with the South Circular Road at Chalker's Corner at the south-eastern end of the district. Since 1869 rail services have been available from Kew Gardens station. London Underground (District line) services run to Richmond and to central London. London Overground trains run to Richmond and (via Willesden Junction) to Stratford. The 65, 110 and R68 bus routes serve Kew. River bus services supported by publicly funded Transport for London run from Kew Pier to Richmond and Hampton Court. ;Nearest places *
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
* East Sheen * Richmond * Gunnersbury *
Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
* Mortlake * Barnes ;Nearest railway stations * Kew Bridge station ( South Western Railway) * Kew Gardens station (London Overground; London Underground District line) * North Sheen station (South Western Railway) ;Bridges * Kew Bridge, which carries the A205 South Circular Road. Beside the bridge is Kew Pier, which serves tourist ferries operating under licence from London River Services. * Kew Railway Bridge


Parks and open spaces

* Kew Green is used by Kew Cricket Club for
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
matches in the summer. *Kew Pond, near the northeast corner of Kew Green, believed to date from the tenth century, is originally thought to have been a natural pond fed from a creek of the tidal Thames. During high (spring) tides, sluice gates are opened to allow river water to fill the pond via an underground channel. The pond is concreted, rectangular in shape and contains an important
reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...
habitat which is vital for conservation and resident water birds. The pond is managed in partnership with the Friends of Kew Pond. *
North Sheen Recreation Ground North Sheen Recreation Ground, in Dancer Road, Kew, Richmond, London, is a recreation area and the home of Kew Park Rangers Football Club. History North Sheen, in the former Municipal Borough of Richmond (Surrey),Mills, A D (2010). ''A Dictio ...
in Dancer Road, known locally as "The Rec", was originally part of an orchard belonging to the Popham Estate, owned by the Leyborne Pophams whose family seat was at Littlecote House, Wiltshire. Opened in June 1909 and extended in 1923, it now contains football pitches, a running track, a children's paddling pool, two extensive playgrounds, a large dog-free grassed area and a pavilion set amongst trees and shrubs. It is also the home of a local
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club, Kew Park Rangers. A sports pavilion was opened in September 2011. *Pensford Field, previously playing fields of the former Gainsborough School, is now a nature reserve and also the home of
Pensford Tennis Club Pensford is the largest village in the civil parish of Publow in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley, approximately south of Bristol, west of Bath and north of Wells. It is on the A37 road from Bristol to Shepton Mallet. Pensfor ...
. * St Luke's Open Space, a quiet sitting area and toddlers' play area, was previously a playground for a former Victorian primary school.The former building of St Luke's School is now an art studio. * Westerley Ware is at the foot of Kew Bridge. It was created as a memorial garden to the fallen in the First World War, and also has a grass area, three hard tennis courts and a children's playground. Its name refers to the practice of netting weirs or "wares" to catch fish.


Sport and leisure

Kew's several other sports clubs include: * North Sheen Bowling Club on Marksbury Avenue *
Priory Park Club A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...
on Forest Road – tennis and (until 2017)
bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
*
Putney Town Rowing Club Putney Town Rowing Club (PTRC) is a rowing club on the Tideway, the tidal reach of the River Thames in England. Its official British Rowing registered colours are navy and white. History The club was founded at the Half Moon Hotel, Putney in 1 ...
on Townmead Road * Richmond Gymnastics Association on Townmead Road The nearest
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club in the Premier League is
Brentford FC Brentford Football Club is a professional football club in Brentford, West London, England, which competes in the Premier League, the highest tier of English football, having gained promotion via the playoffs at the end of the 2020–21 Champi ...
, whose
stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
, opened in 2021, is on the other side of Kew Bridge, near Kew Bridge station.


Societies

The Kew Horticultural Society, founded in 1938, organises an annual show in late August/early September as well as talks, events and outings throughout the year. The Kew Society, founded in 1901 as the Kew Union, is a civic society that seeks to enhance the beauty of Kew and preserve its heritage. It reviews all planning applications in Kew with special regard to the architectural integrity and heritage of the neighbourhood, and plays an active role in the improvement of local amenities. The Society, which is a member of Civic Voice, organises community events including lectures and outings and produces a quarterly newsletter. The Richmond Local History Society is concerned with the history of Kew, as well as that of Richmond, Petersham and Ham.


Education


Primary schools

* Darell Primary and Nursery School is on Darell Road and Niton Road. It opened in 1906, as the Darell Road Schools, at the southern end of what had been the Leyborne-Popham estate. It was Richmond Borough Council's first primary school and was built in the Queen Anne Revival style style, in brick with white stone facings. Although it has been extended several times, it is now the only Richmond borough primary school still in its historic original pre-1914 building. * Kew Riverside Primary School, on Courtlands Avenue, opened in 2003. * The Queen's Church of England Primary School is in Cumberland Road, where it moved in 1969. In her will of 1719, Dorothy, Lady Capel of Kew House left to four trustees Perry Court Farm in Kent, which she had inherited from her father. One twelfth of the rent from the farm was to be given to St Anne's Church to establish a school in Kew. In 1810, a "Free School" was opened in the church for 50 children, financed by subscribers who gave one
guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
a year, in addition to a contribution by King George III. In 1824 the school moved to a site near the pond on Kew Green. The foundation stone was laid on 12 August, the birthday of King George IV, who gave £300 on condition that it be called "The King's Free School". Queen Victoria gave permission for it to be called "The Queen's School" and decreed that its title should change with that of the monarch.


Independent preparatory schools

* Broomfield House School, on Broomfield Road, was founded in 1876. * Kew College, a co-educational school for 3- to 11-year-olds, was founded in 1927 by Mrs Ellen Upton in rooms over a shop in Kew. Mrs Upton's young daughter was one of the first pupils. The school later moved to Cumberland Road. In 1953, Mrs Upton retired and sold the school to Mrs Hamilton-Spry who, in 1985, handed over the buildings to a charitable trust to ensure the school's long term continuity. * Kew Green Preparatory School, at Layton House, Ferry Lane, near Kew Green, opened in 2004. * Unicorn School, established in 1970, is a co-educational, parent-owned school on Kew Road, opposite Kew Gardens.


Places of worship

Four churches in Kew are currently in use: Former churches include: * Kew Baptist Church, a Grace Baptist church, was founded in 1861 in Richmond as Salem Baptist Church. It moved in 1973 to a new building on Windsor Road in Kew, adopting the name Kew Baptist Church in 1990, and closed in 2020. * the late 19th-century Cambridge Road Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, previously known as the Gloucester Road Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and also known as Cambridge Road Methodist Church, which was in use from 1891 to 1969. It is now a private residence. A late Victorian
Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
hall at 6 North Road, built in the style of a chapel, was converted into flats (1–5 Quiet Way) in the early 21st century.


Cemeteries and crematorium

Mortlake Crematorium and two cemeteries – North Sheen Cemetery and
Mortlake Cemetery Mortlake Cemetery is a cemetery in Kew in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (historically in North Sheen, Surrey). It is also known as Hammersmith New Cemetery as it provided burials for the then Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith when ...
 – are located in Kew. The crematorium serves the boroughs of
Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...
, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames and the two cemeteries are managed by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.


Literary references to Kew

I am His Highness' dog at Kew;
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you? ::''
Epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...
, engraved on the Collar of a Dog which I gave to his Royal Highness ( Frederick, Prince of Wales)'', 1736 ( Alexander Pope, 1688–1744) And the wildest dreams of Kew are the facts of Khatmandhu. ::''In The Neolithic Age'', 1892 ( Rudyard Kipling, 1865–1936) Go down to Kew in
lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering plant, flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and wid ...
-time, in lilac-time, in lilac-time;
Go down to Kew in lilac-time (it isn't far from London!)
And you shall wander hand in hand with love in summer's wonderland;
Go down to Kew in lilac-time (it isn't far from London!) ::''The Barrel-Organ'', 1920 ( Alfred Noyes, 1880–1958) Trams and dusty trees.
Highbury bore me. Richmond and Kew
Undid me. ::'' The Waste Land'', 1922 (
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...
, 1888–1965) Lady Croom: My hyacinth dell is become a haunt for
hobgoblins, my Chinese bridge, which I am assured is
superior to the one at Kew, and for all I know at Peking, is
usurped by a fallen obelisk overgrown with briars. ::'' Arcadia'', 1993 ( Tom Stoppard, b. 1937)


See also

*
Dodge 100 "Kew" The Dodge 100 "Kew" was a range of trucks made from 1949 until 1957 by the American Dodge company at their British factory in Kew, London. The trucks were often nicknamed the "parrot nose" due to their distinctive shaped bonnets and grilles. Most ...
* Dodge 300 * Kew Gardens and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew * Kew Green * Kew Letters * Kew Mortuary * Kew Observatory * Kew Palace * North Sheen


Notes


References


Sources

* Blomfield, David (1994). ''Kew Past''.
Chichester, Sussex Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
: Phillimore & Co Ltd.


Further reading

* * * *Cloake, John (1996). ''Palaces and Parks of Richmond and Kew vol. II: Richmond Lodge and the Kew Palaces''. Chichester: Phillimore & Co Ltd. . . OL 8627654M. *Cloake, John (2001). ''Cottages and Common Fields of Richmond and Kew''. Chichester: Phillimore & Co Ltd. . * * *


External links


Kew TW9 community websiteKew area profile''HistoryWorld'': Kew timelineThe Kew SocietyRichmond Local History Society
{{Authority control Areas of London Chrysler factories Districts of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Districts of London on the River Thames English artists History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Royal residences in the United Kingdom Wards of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames