Keuper

KEUPER: see TRIASSIC SYSTEM.

KEW,

a suburb of London in Surrey, England, on the Thames, 6 m. W.S.W. of Hyde Park Corner, London. Pop. (1925) 4,362. The name first occurs in a document of the reign of Henry VII., where it is spelt Kayhough. The church of St. Anne (1714) is the burial place of Thomas Gainsborough the artist. The old village was chiefly a row of houses on the north side of a green, to the south of which is the church and churchyard and at the west the principal entrance to Kew Gardens. From re mains found in the river near Kew bridge it has been conjectured that the village marks the site of an old British settlement.

The free school originally endowed by Lady Capel in 1721 received special benefactions from George IV., and the title of "the king's free school." The estate of Kew House which was pulled down in 1802 cam€ into the possession of Lord Capel about the end of the 17th century. Dutch House, close to Kew House, was sold by Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, to Sir Hugh Portman, a Dutch mer chant, late in the i6th century, and in 1781 was purchased by George III. as a nursery for the royal children. It is a plain

brick structure, now known as Kew Palace.

The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew originated in the exotic garden formed by Lord Capel and extended by the widow of Frederick, prince of Wales, and by George III., aided by the skill of William Aiton and of Sir Joseph Banks. In 1840 the gar dens were adopted as a national establishment. The gardens originally of II ac., were subsequently increased to 75 acres. The pleasure grounds adjoining extend to 27o acres. There are extensive conservatories, botanical museums, including the herb arium and a library. A Chinese pagoda was erected in 1761. In the neighbouring Richmond Old Park is Kew Observatory.