The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew tells the story of our relationship with plants, from innovative landscape design to global exploration, scientific endeavor and conservation action. The resulting rich and diverse cultural landscape is of national and international significance, spanning over 260 years. Kew Gardens was inscribed onto the World Heritage List in July 2003, acknowledging the value of its unique history, diverse historic landscape, rich architectural legacy, botanic collections and its position as one of the world’s leading botanic gardens for scientific research and education.
Since the botanic gardens were first established by Princess Augusta in 1759, the site and collections have continued to grow and evolve through the work of RBG Kew’s scientists, horticulturists, educators and many volunteers. Over this time, RBG Kew has remained faithful to its original purpose, with botanists continuing to collect specimens and exchange expertise internationally. RBG Kew’s landscape, buildings and plant collections combine to form a unique testimony to developments in garden design, horticulture and botanical science that have subsequently diffused around the world.
Georgina Darroch is Kew Gardens World Heritage Site Manager. Georgina has worked at Kew for 10 years, starting out as a student on the Kew Diploma in Horticulture before going on to work in Kew Science and then on several high-profile projects including the Hive and the Temperate House restoration. Georgina took on the management of Kew’s World Heritage Site responsibilities in 2019, leading the development of Kew’s current WHS Management Plan and engaging in several Planning Inquiries. Georgina has a background in archaeology and heritage management.
Simon Toomer is Kew Gardens Curator of Living Collections, a new role that he took on in 2022 to lead the delivery of Kew’s Living Collections Strategy and develop Kew’s Landscape Succession Plan. Simon has been a forester, arboriculturist and horticultural botanist with previous roles including Director of Westonbirt Arboretum, Senior Consultant for Plant Conservation with the National Trust and Chair of PlantNetwork, the primary support and advisory network for holders of living plant collections throughout Britain and Ireland. He is also the author of several books on topics about trees and plant collections, including Trees for the Small Garden (Timber Press, 2005) and Planting and Maintaining a Tree Collection (Timber Press, 2010).
