Princess of Wales Conservatory

Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court


The angular Princess of Wales Conservatory in Kew Gardens houses plants in 10 different climatic zones – everything from a desert to a mangrove swamp. Look out for stone plants, which resemble pebbles (to deter grazing animals), carnivorous plants, gigantic waterlilies, cacti and a collection of tropical orchids.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court attractions

1. Great Broad Walk Borders

0.05 MILES

Stretching north from near the Palm House in Kew Gardens, the 320m-long and well-tended Great Broad Walk Borders constitute the longest double herbaceous…

2. Waterlily House

0.09 MILES

The tiny and irresistibly steamy Waterlily House in Kew Gardens shelters a gigantic Victoria cruziana water lily, with gourds of all shapes and sizes…

3. Palm House

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The enormous and elaborate 700-glass-paned Palm House in Kew Gardens is a domed hothouse of metal and curved sheets of glass dating from 1848, enveloping…

4. Orangery

0.24 MILES

Designed by Sir William Chambers, this elegant Grade I listed plant house in Kew Gardens is home to a cafe.

5. Kew Palace

0.25 MILES

The smallest of the royal palaces, red-brick Kew Palace in Kew Gardens is a former royal residence once known as Dutch House, built in 1631. It was the…

6. Marianne North Gallery

0.46 MILES

This gallery in Kew Gardens displays the botanical paintings of Marianne North, an indomitable traveller who roamed the continents from 1871 to 1885,…

7. Temperate House

0.49 MILES

Built in 1860 and closed for vital restoration work until 2018, the beautiful Temperate House in the southeast of Kew Gardens is the world’s largest…

8. Treetop Walkway

0.54 MILES

In the Arboretum, the fascinating Treetop Walkway first takes you underground and then 18m up in the air into the tree canopy.