SIR W. THISELTON-DYER, 1885 TO 1905 59 
On the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, in 1897, 
her Majesty gave over to the public the grounds surrounding the 
Queen’s Cottage. A considerable portion of these 
Queens Cottage g roun( j s [ s no t adapted for the free access of the 
public, and as it was desirable also to retain the 
grounds as a sanctuary for wild bird life, a grassy walk, defined by 
light fencing, was laid through the most picturesque parts. To this 
walk visitors are restricted. 
The last addition is the garden of Cambridge Cottage. For many 
years the house had been a residence of the Dukes of Cambridge ; its 
chief entrance is from Kew Green, near to the church. 
Qn the death of the late Duke in 1904 it ceased to be 
occupied. The Cambridge Cottage of recent times was 
an amalgamation of several houses. One portion of it was occupied 
by the Earl of Bute who took so prominent a part in the foundation 
of the original Botanic Garden at Kew. By command of his Majesty 
King Edward VII., it was added to Kew Gardens. The present 
intention is to convert it into a museum illustrative of Forestry. 
The garden attached to it is still enclosed by old walls, in which, 
however, two gates have been made which admit the public from 
Kew Gardens proper. Several tanks of formal design are to be 
constructed in the centre of this garden for water-lilies and other 
aquatic plants. 
Up to the present, whatever may be the case in the future, plant- 
houses have been in one respect like battleships. They have gradu- 
ally become out-of-date and obsolete. In a large establish- 
Iniproved. men ^ pp e Kew, where greenhouses have been in existence 
for a century and a half, a certain number always have 
been necessarily behind the times, either in the arrange- 
ments for heating, or ventilation, or in the admission of light. 
But, since the year 1880 or so, strenuous efforts have been made 
to bring the plant-houses of Kew into line with the latest 
ideas in greenhouse construction. Many of the houses have been 
re-roofed, some almost or entirely rebuilt, and there is not one 
that has not been much improved. One of the most useful devices 
has been the employment of “ T iron ” for the rafters instead of 
wood. On the arms of this T the sashes rest, and they can easily 
be renewed when necessary. Besides its convenience, this system 
has the advantage of durability and lightness. To these improve- 
Plant 
houses. 
