Kew Palace

Over het museum

Kew Palace was built in 1631 as a fashionable mansion for Samuel Fortrey, a wealthy London merchant. In the 1720s George II and Queen Caroline took leases on it and on neighbouring houses as a quiet retreat for their daughters, and later generations of the Georgian royal family used Kew and nearby Richmond Lodge as weekend homes away from court life.

The palace is best known for its link to George III. During his first serious illness in 1788 the king was kept at Kew while doctors tried a series of harsh treatments, and he stayed there again during later bouts of illness. The palace became a private refuge for him and for Queen Charlotte, who died in her bedroom at Kew in November 1818.

In July 1818 two of the royal sons married German princesses in a double wedding at the palace, as the royal family searched for a legitimate heir. Their daughter Victoria, born the following year, later became queen. The rooms today are arranged to tell the story of the king, his family and their servants, and the palace is run by the charity Historic Royal Palaces.

The visit also includes the Royal Kitchens, which survive almost unchanged from the early 19th century. The site lies inside the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Great Pagoda and Queen Charlotte's Cottage can be reached from it on foot.

Hoogtepunten

• George III's Breakfast Room, Dining Room and Library
• Queen Charlotte's Boudoir and the rooms of the royal princesses
• The Royal Kitchens, preserved as they were in 1818
• The Hidden Spaces tour to the palace attic and undercroft
• The nearby Great Pagoda and Queen Charlotte's Cottage

Vaste collectie

• The King's Rooms and Royal Apartments – Furnished rooms including George III's Breakfast Room, Dining Room and Library and Queen Charlotte's Boudoir tell the story of the king's illness and his family at Kew.
• The Royal Kitchens – The kitchens below stairs are kept as they were in 1818, during the reign of George III, and show how the royal household was fed.
• The Great Pagoda – An 18th-century pagoda in the south of Kew Gardens with 253 steps to the top and interactive displays on the ground floor.

Opgericht

1631

Beheerder

Historic Royal Palaces

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

There is no separate entry price for Kew Palace: it is included in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew admission, which must be bought online in advance or at the gate. The prices shown are the lowest published Kew Gardens prices (off-peak, 1 November to 31 January, online); peak prices from 2 September to 31 October are higher (adult £25 online, £28 at the gate), and prices for the palace's spring and summer season are not yet published. Kew and Wakehurst members enter free, and Historic Royal Palaces members receive 10% off Kew Gardens tickets.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The palace has level access via a ramp and a lift serving the first and second floors, but doorways and corridors are narrow, so only small wheelchairs can be used and mobility scooters are not allowed. A limited number of wheelchairs can be borrowed at the Kew Gardens gates and the palace. The lift in the Royal Kitchens is currently out of use, and the Hidden Spaces attic is reached by wooden steps. Accessible toilets are near the palace, and a Changing Places toilet is at Brentford Gate. Assistance dogs are welcome in the palace buildings. Large-print room guides, a tactile model of the palace and torches for low light are available. Quiet times are weekday mornings soon after opening.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk: niet aanwezig
• Verschoonruimte

Children's activity sheets are available in every room of the palace, and trail sheets in the Kitchen Garden. Pushchairs are not allowed inside the palace but can be left on the lawn outside or in a buggy park a minute away. Baby changing is in the Orangery restaurant. Children under 5 may not go above the ground floor of the Great Pagoda.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Kew Palace can only be reached through Kew Gardens. Elizabeth Gate is the entrance closest to the palace. Coaches can drop off and collect at Elizabeth Gate on Kew Green; there is no coach park. Bicycles are not allowed in Kew Gardens, but there are bike racks at the gates.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe: niet aanwezig

Cafes and restaurants such as the Orangery are in Kew Gardens, a few minutes from the palace. There is no left luggage at the palace; backpacks must be carried in front, and large suitcases are not allowed. Lockers are available at Victoria Gate.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The palace can be hired for events and weddings through the Historic Royal Palaces venue hire team.

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