Great Pagoda - Kew Gardens, London, Great Britain. - Odd-Shaped Buildings on Waymarking.com

The ten-story-tall, Octagonal Pagoda is the oldest building at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. I don't know if its me, my camera, or the Pagoda, but one of us is leaning. The Octagonal Pagoda was designed by William Chambers & built in 1762. The pagoda is a testimony to the fascination of the Royal Family for Oriental culture during the 18th century.

"The towering Pagoda in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is perhaps the most ambitious garden structure built in the Chinese style in Europe in the eighteenth century. It is a relic of the taste for exotic and often ephemeral garden buildings which prevailed among the wealthy and fashionable classes of that profuse age. The pagoda was designed and built by the architect Sir William Chambers (1723-96) between 1761 and 1762 as the principal ornament in the pleasure grounds of the White House at Kew, residence of Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, mother of George III.: Text Source & See more at: (visit link)

"There was a fashion for Chinoiserie in English garden design in the mid 18th century, and Chambers was a keen advocate, reacting against the sweeping 'natural' lines of contemporaries such as 'Capability' Brown.
The Pagoda was completed in 1762. The ten-storey octagonal structure is 163 ft (nearly 50 m) high and was, at that time, the tallest reconstruction of a Chinese building in Europe. It tapers, with successive floors from the first to the topmost being 1 ft (30 cm) less in diameter and height than the preceding one.

The original building was very colourful; the roofs being covered with varnished iron plates, with a dragon on each corner. There were 80 dragons in all, each carved from wood and gilded with real gold.

There have been several restorations, mainly to the roofs, but the original colours and the dragons have not been replaced, though the question of replica dragons was discussed in 1979." Text Source: (visit link) & (visit link)

Restoration 2016–18:
There have been several restorations in the past, mainly to the roofs. However, the original colours and the dragons have not been replaced until now.

The dragons are set to return to Kew's Pagoda once again, as part of a conservation project which will see the building returned to its 18th century splendour. Heritage charity Historic Royal Palaces — which has already completed major restorations of Kew Palace (King George III’s former home) and the Royal Kitchens within Kew Gardens — is undertaking a two-year project to return the Pagoda to its former glory. Offering one of the earliest and finest bird’s eye views of London, the Pagoda is expected to reopen to the public permanently in 2018.: Text Source: (visit link)

Building Address: Royal Botanic Garden Kew, London, UK Is it open to the general public?: no When was it built? (Approximate if you must.): 01/01/1762 What is the name of this building?: The Great Pagoda Kew

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