Library and Archives

Discover nearly 2,000 years of plant knowledge in one of the most extensive botanical libraries in the world.

Paintings from the Illustrations and Artefacts Collection

Please note from 22 September 2025 to Spring 2026, the Library and Archives Reading Room will temporarily change its opening times to Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10.00am and 4.00pm for pre-booked appointments only. We require at least one week’s notice and there is a daily limit to admissions.

Many of our collections are accessible remotely – see below for further information.

Kew’s Library and Archives collection spans 2,000 years of plant knowledge and discovery.

With information on the naming, classification and uses of plants, plant ecology, conservation, and the wild plants of the world, it's a treasure trove of plant stories. 

If you’re a researcher, a garden lover, or simply an avid reader, our collection offers plenty of resources on botanic gardens and herbaria worldwide, the history of gardening and garden design, and biographical materials on botanists and gardeners. The oldest item in the collection dates back to the 1370s, while our copies of ancient works of botany invite you to journey even further back in time.  

The Reading Room in the Library at Kew
The Reading Room in the Library at Kew
Rossioglossum grande, labelled as Odontoglossum grande from John Day's Scrapbook, 1883

Highlights 

Explore the treasures of our collections 

As well as items on the history of Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, we hold original sources from many of the significant figures in botanical history, including Charles Darwin, Sir Joseph Hooker, Elsie Wakefield and Marianne North.  

Charles Darwin writes to his Professor at Cambridge as he leaves the shores of South America for the Galapagos Islands on board the H.M.S. Beagle, summer 1835
Charles Darwin writes to his Professor at Cambridge as he leaves the shores of South America for the Galapagos Islands on board the H.M.S. Beagle, summer 1835
A unique collection of fine Japanese papers, produced for the Millennium, in 12 volumes. Washi: the soul of Japan, fine Japanese paper in the second millennium
A unique collection of fine Japanese papers, produced for the Millennium, in 12 volumes. Washi : the soul of Japan, fine Japanese paper in the second millennium (Library)
Detail of field sketch of Everest by Joseph Dalton Hooker c. 1848
Detail of Field sketch of Mount Everest by Joseph Dalton Hooker
Watercolour illustration of Mount Everest by Walter Hood Fitch, c. 1848
Watercolour illustration of Mount Everest by Walter Hood Fitch, c. 1848
An early Kew fungus foray in Epping Forest with Kew botanists George Massee and Elsie Wakefield, c.1910
An early Kew fungus foray in Epping Forest with Kew botanists George Massee and Elsie Wakefield, c.1910

We regularly acquire new publications for specialist and popular audiences, keeping our collection fresh and contemporary. Whether you’re seeking maps or expedition reports, ancient texts or new publications, there’s a world of plant knowledge to discover and study in our Reading Room today.  

Visiting the Library and Archives Reading Room

Opening hours

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10am – 4pm.

Pre-booked appointments only; we require at least one week’s notice and there is a daily limit to admissions.

We may occasionally need to close attractions for maintenance or visitor safety: Check for planned closures and visitor notices before you visit. 

Access Kew's Library Catalogue

Contact 

Please contact the Library or Archives teams if you would like to arrange a visit.  

Location  

For travel information to Kew Gardens, see our visitor information pages.  The Main Library is located in the Herbarium building off Kew Green to the right of Elizabeth Gate. The nearest public transport station is Kew Bridge (overland rail). There is very limited parking alongside Kew Green. 

For full details on visiting the Library, please download this short guide with all the information you need. 

Getting to Library and Archives

 

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