[Crown Copyright Reserved, 



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ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW 



BULLETIN 



OF 



MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION 



No. 10] 



[1919 



XXVIII.— THE NEW FLAGSTAFF AT KEW. 



(With Plates.) 



The long-awaited erection of the new flagstaff was successfully 

 accomplished on October 18th last, the mast reaching the vertical 

 position at 3 p.m. The hoisting had commenced early on th 

 morning of the previous day. 



For more than fifty years — that is to say from 1861 to 1913 

 a conspicuous landmark in Kew had been a flagstaff of Douglas 

 fir standing on the mound south of the Berberis Dell. It was 

 given to the Gardens by Mr. Edward Stamp, an importer of 

 American timber, and was 159 ft. high, being of course in one 

 piece. Its age was calculated to be 250 years, its height as it 

 stood in the forest 180 ft., and its weight, after shaping, 4| tons. 



It may be recorded that another flagstaff of smaller dimensions 



had been presented to Kew by Mr. Stamp in 1859. But ill- 



f fortune pursued this specimen. As it was being towed up the 



J Thames, towards Kew, it was cut in two by a tug. The pieces 



were afterwards spliced together and safely transported to the 

 appointed site in Kew, but its erection was entrusted to people 

 who were evidently inexpert at such work. As it was in process 

 of being hoisted, a violent gust of wind blew over the pole, 

 apparatus and all, which came crashing to the ground, with the 

 result that Mr, Stamp's gift lay there broken into three pieces. 

 Kew, however, rather gained than lost by this mishap, for the 



w pole presented by Mr. Stamp "was a larger and better sample. 

 In the hands of professional mast-riggers from Deptford Dockyard 

 this was successfully erected in 1861, and there it stood for thirty- 

 five years. In 1895, however, it was seen to be decayed at the 

 base and on being examined by Admiralty officials was reported 

 by them to be unsafe. In the opinion of experts it was still 

 possible to preserve it by removing the decayed base and splicing 

 on a new one. This was done by Messrs. Robinson and Dodd, of 

 Poplar, who lowered it, did the repairs, and re-hoisted it on 

 February 4th, 1896. The new base of the pole was of pitch pine, 

 and of 'sufficient length to retain the flagstaff at its original 

 height. 



These repairs gave the pole a renewed term of existence, but in 



(61.5.) Wt. 158— 829. 1,125. 12/19. J. T. & S., Ltd. G. 14, Sch. 12. 



new 



