Kew is world famous for the Royal Botanic Gardens, where 300 acres (120ha) of land and splendid glasshouses contain over 40,000 species of plant life and 9,000 trees.

Kew village retains all the charm of the eighteenth century when the Hanoverian Royal Family made it their home. The painter Thomas Gainsborough is buried in Kew Church.

The National Archive (formerly the Public Record Office) is also based in Kew, holding 900 years of historical records, including the Domesday Book.