Kew Church

Kew Church - vintage postcard

Historical Accounts

According to Daniel Lysons (The Environs of London, vol.1, 2nd edition, p.152):

'A private chapel was built at Kew in the reign of Henry VIII. and licenced in 1522 by Bishop Fox, at the request of Thomas Burkis, who, it is probable was the proprietor. In the year 1714, the present chapel, which, since the Act of Parliament hereafter-mentioned, may now be more properly described as a parish church, was built by subscription on a piece of waste given for that purpose by Queen Anne: it is situated towards the end of the green, and is a small brick structure, consisting of a nave and a north aisle; the south side being appropriated for a school-room: at the west end is a turret. (...)

'In Kew church are, among others, the monuments of Elizabeth Countess of Derby, who died in 1717; Dorothy, widow of Henry Lord Capel, 1721; and Brigadier William Douglas, who died in 1747, in South Beveland.

'In the church-yard near the school-house door, lies Thomas Gainsborough Esq. R. A., the celebrated artist, who died August 2, 1788, aged 61. He has no other monument than a grave-stone, which only mentions the date of his death: his memory will live however in his works, and in the deserved and liberal encomiums bestowed on him in the lectures of the late Sir Joshua Reynolds. Mr. Gainsborough never resided at Kew, except on occasional visits to his sister. Near the same spot is the grave of Mr. Meyer, (...) and that of Joshua Kirby, F.R.S. A.S., clerk of the board of works, author of a well-known book on perspective: he died June 21, 1774, aged 58.

'In the church-yard also, are, among others, the tombs of Sir Charles Eyre, Other tombs. Knight, Governor of Fort-William, in Bengal, who died in 1729; Mr. John Haverfield, well known for his taste and skill as an ornamental gardener, who died in 1781; the Rev. Daniel Bellamy, late minister of Kew, author of some Ethic Poems, some dramatic pieces, and a Paraphrase on the Book of Job, who died in 1788; and Mr. William Aiton, late gardener of Kew-gardens, who died in 1793, aged 62.

Kew Pond and Museum - card posted 1911

Kew: Historical Accounts
The village is pleasantly situated on the southern bank of the Thames

Kew Gardens: Historical Accounts
The exotic, or as it is usually called, the botanic garden, was established in the year 1760, by the Princess Dowager.