Queen's cottage grounds, a photo from London, England

Photographer's Note

Queen Charlotte's Cottage

This 18th century thatched cottage was a private haven for Queen Charlotte. The cottage grounds boast one of London's finest woods, part of which is over 300 years old.

History and design

The cottage was built in the mid-18th century and bestowed to Queen Charlotte by George III as part of their marriage settlement. It was used by the royal family to refresh themselves and rest during their walks.

A paddock adjoined the cottage, known as the New Menagerie, was home to many exotic creatures. These included a pair of black swans, buffaloes, the now extinct quagga (an animal similar to a zebra) and the first kangaroos to arrive in England.

The large ground floor room has painted convolvulus and nasturtium 'growing' up its walls and once boasted 'all English prints of elegance and humour', including those of Hogarth. At some point during the 1770s a first floor picnic room was added, accessed by a curving staircase.

The Georgian royal family stopped using this private retreat in 1818. The cottage was ceded to Kew by Queen Victoria in 1898 to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee. One condition that Queen Victoria made was that the surrounding woodland be kept in its naturalistic state. Her wish was respected and it now forms part of Kew’s Natural Area.

Copyright © - This photograph is an intellectual property of its author,and is strictly forbidden, the reproduction,modification, or exploitation for any way,thus is protected by the Law. The use or reproduction by any way without previous written authorization of the photographer is strictly prohibited.For more please contact: [email protected]

pajaran, papagolf21, ChrisJ, ikeharel, COSTANTINO, Fis2, pierrefonds, holmertz, cornejo, PiotrF, adramad, PaulVDV, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

lousat (139982) 2018-05-19 0:29

Hi Danos,this is one of the most beautiful architechture in the Kew gardens complex,a long history and still there,very well preserved and taken in a perfect postcard,well done! Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

papagolf21 (152607) 2018-05-19 0:42

Bonjour, cher ami Danos,
Le charme des maisons au toit de chaume perdure au fil des siècles.
Malheureusement, cela tend à disparaître (coût élevé à la construction et à l'entretien).
L'image est fort belle.
Amitiés.
Philippe

ChrisJ (172430) 2018-05-19 0:57

Hi Danos

The thatched roof is interesting and adds a rustic look. It is still possible to see such roofs in Romania today. The 4 people outside add scale. Or is that 2 people and 2 mannequins dressed in period costume? Tfs!

ikeharel (114569) 2018-05-19 1:05

Kalimera Danos,
Good distant view upon the unique cottage in the Kew, its design probably fit to the known English weather, dark bricks and roof maybe to preserve sun heat on cold days. Contrast well from the green lawn and trees.
Wish you a nice weekend,
Ike

Tue (93412) 2018-05-19 1:09

Hello Danos,
A lovely cottage with a charming thatched roof, brick walls and some half-timbered parts as well. The light was beautiful and came from a good angle, which added a nice play of light and shadow.
Lars

COSTANTINO (117756) 2018-05-19 1:28

Καλημέρα φίλε μου και καλό Σαββατοκύριακο
Αυτή η ομορφη φωτογραφία θα μας συντροφεύει
με το ήρεμο περιβάλλον της και την όλη ρομαντική ατμόσφαιρα Θαρρείς και βλέπουμε σκηνή από κινηματογραφική
ταινία εποχής
Να είσαι πάντα καλά
Costantino

Fis2 (171907) 2018-05-19 4:20

Witaj Danos!
Amazing cottage, beautiful view.
Excellent frame and sharpness,
Nice place.
Well done.
Good weekend.
Krzysztof

pierrefonds (115518) 2018-05-19 4:53

Hi Danos,

The presence of the people has an effect of scale. The point of view is howing the details of Queen Charlotte's cottage. The light is bringing out the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Sergiom (117241) 2018-05-19 6:15

Bonjour Danos,

C'est vraiment très britannique comme architecture. J'aime beaucoup ces toits chauds en hiver et frais en été. Belle pelouse devant et superbe lumière sur l'ensemble.

Amicalement

Serge

holmertz (103596) 2018-05-19 7:37

Hello Danos,
It's a really beautiful building, well kept after 300 years. The surroundings look inviting and the few persons outside enliven the view. The photo is perfectly sharp and wll exposed with attractive colours.
Kind regards,
Gert

rychem (72187) 2018-05-19 8:21

A very nice capture, the cottage looks really traditional, such thatched roofs are rare today, well presented
regards Ryszard

cornejo (61504) 2018-05-19 10:47

Hello Danos, very good photograph of this beautiful and interesting country house, very well captured in this interesting image, with good sharpness, light, color and quality. Very good and interesting work perfectly done, my congratulations my friend. Thank you for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy Sunday.
Warm greetings from the south of Spain.
Angel.

Silvio1953 (222889) 2018-05-19 13:17

Ciao Serge, great view of fantastic cottege, lovely composition with nice people, fine details, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

PiotrF (55970) 2018-05-19 15:37

Hello Danos,
Interesting view of unique cottage.
Good composition, excellent quality. Thank you for informative note.
Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

Nicou (193814) 2018-05-19 22:22

Hello

quelle belle ancienne maison avec la forme de son toite et lla paille suepr be en bois une maison mervielleuse avec ce votrage quei brille ces personnages quei la visitent fantastique captage.
Bravo et maiité
Nicou

carlo62 (81265) 2018-05-20 0:12

Ciao Danos
eccellente foto di questo splendido cottage che ci riporta indietro nel tempo.
Interessante architettura inserita in un ottimo contesto.
Saluti
Carlo

adramad (73442) 2018-05-20 11:36

Hi, Danos.
Fantastic composition of this beautiful cottage, A charming construction with that touch of a rural house, but in this case it is supposed, with a comfortable interior, ideal location in this large park.
A magnificent color that gives a lot of chromatic richness to the image.
Very good lighting management and very good sharpness.
Well done. I like it.
I wish you a pleasant week.
Very best regards.
Luis.

emka (158784) 2018-05-20 23:00

Hello Danos, This queen's cottage reminds me the Queens Hamlet in Versailles. Of course, the architecture is different. Delightful place in Kew. Who are these girls sitting? They look a bit "old style" but the couple looks modern. Wonderful building, excellent presentation.

Kind regards MAlgo

PaulVDV (63456) 2018-05-21 1:44

Hello Danos,
A bright and sunny day to present us this charming cottage.
The architecture is very attractive and there's a good sideways light so we get nice contrasts between sun lit parts and others in the shade.
Best regards, Paul

mcmtanyel (69195) 2018-05-21 19:26

Hello Danos,
This is a fine photo of this charming cottage. The half-timbered brick edifice makes a nice contrast to the green grounds.
Regards,
MT

mkamionka (75113) 2018-05-24 2:30

Hi Danos,
I keep being impressed by your reportage from Kew's Gardens. There is really so much to see there. This is one more interesting spot. I think I even see some ladies dressed in the traditional clothes in the centre of the image.
Lovely old architecture and most of all captured in a great light and with so well saturated colors.
Very encouraging to visit!
M

jmdias (116441) 2018-07-04 12:47

danos

a typical view of a traditional cottage with these roofs. nice aspect of its architecture.

take care

jorge