Queen Charlotte's Cottage is an 18th-century

cottage orné dates back to a movement of "rustic" stylised cottages of the late 18th and early 19th centuries during the Romantic movement, when some sought to discover a more natural way of living as opposed to the formality of the preceding Baroque and Neo ...

within the grounds of

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

on the banks of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It is named after

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

, who was responsible for its construction. Dating from 1772, the cottage is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. The cottage is maintained by

Historic Royal Palaces Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that manages the United Kingdom's unoccupied royal palaces: * The Tower of London * Hampton Court Palace * The State Apartments and Orangery at Kensington Palace * The Banqueting House, Whiteh ...

, and is open to visitors.

Queen Charlotte at Kew

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

's widowed mother, Princess Augusta, lived much of the time at Kew. George III, like his father Prince Frederick before him, had agricultural interests. These two factors led George III and Queen Charlotte to spending summers at Kew, in

Richmond Lodge Richmond Lodge was a historic property located near the River Thames in Richmond, London, in what is now known as Old Deer Park, lands belonging to the historic Richmond Palace. It was located close to the King's Observatory. It should not be co ...

and what is now called

Kew Palace Kew Palace is a British royal palace within the grounds of Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames. Originally a large complex, few elements of it survive. Dating to 1631 but built atop the undercroft of an earlier building, the main surv ...

. It was from these origins that Queen Charlotte determined to erect the cottage that now bears her name.

Design

The cottage orné dates to a movement of rustic stylised cottages of the late 18th and early 19th-centuries: such a cottage must be in a deliberately rustic style, and typically it features a well-shaped thatch roof with ornate timberwork. A single storey is also typical, although a second storey is not unknown. Queen Charlotte's Cottage dates from 1772, and is one of the earliest examples of a cottage orné. The design is timber-framed with brick infill, which has been attributed to the North German vernacular which the Queen will have recalled from her childhood. The roof is thatched, and the simple doors are made of rough planks with wooden latches. The windows, which are large for a cottage, are recycled 17th-century frames with leaded panes. Inside, the cottage is more elaborate than is usual for a cottage orné. There are two main rooms: the Print Room downstairs and the Picnic Room above it, linked by a cantilevered staircase. The Picnic Room was painted by Princess Elizabeth (who had been taught botanical drawing by

Franz Bauer Franz Andreas Bauer (later Francis) (14 March 1758 – 11 December 1840) was an Austrian microscopist and botanical artist. Born in Feldsberg, Lower Austria (now Valtice, Czech Republic), he was the son of Lucas Bauer (died 1761), court pain ...

) in the early 19th-century to represent the interior of a bower. The earliest description of the cottage is from 1774, in which the design is attributed to Charlotte herself. As the Queen paid for the work herself, the records were in her Privy Purse papers, which have not been traced. There is some evidence that Sir William Chambers (who designed the nearby Great Pagoda for Princess Augusta in 1762 and a number of other features at Kew) turned the Queen's ideas into architect's plans. Queen Charlotte's Cottage was extended in 1805 with a half-timbered second storey and a thatched roof. The thatching is Norfolk reed, which is the original material, with a

sedge The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

, patterned ridge. The cottage is fitted with a sprinkler system, and the sprinklers poke through the thatch in places. The most recent thatching was undertaken by Bardsley & Brown Ltd.

The grounds

From 1792 Queen Charlotte kept kangaroos in the rear paddock, until 1806 when it was turned into a flower garden by W. T. Aiton.

Opening to the public

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

rarely visited the cottage, but it was maintained by a housekeeper throughout her reign. The writer Sir

Arthur Helps Sir Arthur Helps (10 July 1813 – 7 March 1875) was an English writer and dean of the Privy Council. He was a Cambridge Apostle and an early advocate of animal rights. Biography The youngest son of London merchant Thomas Helps, Arthur He ...

lived in the cottage on a

grace and favour A grace-and-favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch, government, or other owner and leased rent-free to a person as part of the perquisites of their employment, or in gratitude for services rendered. Usage of the term is chief ...

basis from 1867 until his death in 1875. In 1898 she gave both the cottage and

to the public to commemorate her

diamond jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

the previous year. The gift of the cottage was conditional upon the grounds being left in an uncultivated state. Both the cottage and Kew Palace, as well as the Pagoda, are now maintained by Historic Royal Palaces and are open to visitors. In October 2021, the building was one of 142 sites across England to receive part of a £35-million injection into the government's

Culture Recovery Fund The Culture Recovery Fund is a grants programme issued by the UK Government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund aims to financially support cultural organisations in England (such as theatres, museums, and music venues) which had bec ...

."Heritage and Craft Workers Across England Given a Helping Hand"
–

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

, 22 October 2021

References

{{coord, 51.47295, -0.30369, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 1772 establishments in England Houses completed in 1772 Cottage orné Georgian architecture in London Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Historic house museums in London Historic Royal Palaces History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Houses in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Kew, London Museums in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal residences in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz