Patricia Gentry-Verhoestraete

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: A Place To Find Solace In Nature During Coronavirus Pandemic

As a Blue Badge Tourist Guide, I feel proud and privileged to introduce visitors from around the globe to the greatest and most historic botanic gardens in the world: the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Both a UNESCO World Heritage Site with hundreds of years of history and a key scientific research centre at the forefront of saving our planet, the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew offers endless wonders for all to enjoy.

In this video, initially broadcast via the Guide London social media channels, I share some of the fascinating stories connected to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew which dates back to the early 18th-century.   Just a 30-minute train ride from Central London, the 326-acre site at Kew now has 40 historic buildings and its collection includes over 27,000 taxa of living plants, 8.3 million plant and fungal herbarium specimens, and over 40,000 species in the seed bank.

For a more in-depth virtual tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew followed by a Q&A session, get in touch via my Guide London profile. You can watch or listen from the comfort of your home or as a preparation for your next real-life visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Patricia Gentry-Verhoestraete

My name is Patricia.
I am a professional licensed tour guide in the UK with 20 years experience and holder of the prestigious Blue Badge.
Because of the Corona virus situation,nearly all real-life tours are not happening with the exception of couples or family visits. All of my most popular tours…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

Exploring London By Taking A Virtual Tour With A Blue Badge Tourist Guide

Lockdown has been pretty devastating for London Blue Badge Tourist Guides, as you can imagine. However, rather than sitting at home polishing up our shining badges waiting for the clients who were never going to arrive, we decided to bring London to the world.

Read more

Remembering The Blitz On London

On the afternoon of 7th September 1940, 350 German bomber planes attacked London, devastating the docks area and killing over 400 people. The day became known as Black Saturday and marked the beginning of a bombing campaign – the Blitz – that terrorised the city for eight months. Around 20,000 Londoners were killed. Eighty years on from Black Saturday, Blue Badge Tourist Guide Ruth Polling explores how remnants of that period can still be seen in London today.

Read more