Chambers was employed by both George III and his mother the Dowager Princess of Wales, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. The latter commissioned him to provide features for the gardens of the estate that was then the White House (later George's Kew Palace). This activity, completed by 1763, was also the concern of the others involved in the development of what was to become the present Kew Botanic Gardens - Lord Bute and William Aiton. Chambers was involved with 23 buildings of which six survive. The most prominent is the Pagoda which reflects his interest in Chinese art. However although it was relieved of the eighty glass covered dragons, a major feature of that art, at some time, possibly as an element of the payment of the debts of George IV. Possibly the most elegant is the Orangery. The others are: the Temples of Arethusa and Bellona (since resited); the temple of Aeolus (rebuilt by Burton); and the ruined arch. Chambers major commissions from George III included: the Observatory built to allow the king to view the Transit of Venus in 1769; and the expansion of the White House, which had been the home of George's parents (the Prince Frederick and Princess Augusta), to become Kew Palace.

O/S Co-ords:1845.7605
Source(s):

Kew Past