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Palm House Pond and TerraceThe Palm House PondThe Palm House Pond was part of the major transformation of Kew in 1845, under William Nesfield and Decimus Burton. Enlarged and reshaped, it provided a water feature in its own right, and reflected the entire length of the Palm House, reinforcing the building's focal importance. The fountain, which depicts Hercules wrestling the serpent river-god Achelous, was added in 1853. The siting of the Pond was a masterstroke, the unity of it and the Palm House being recognised all over the world. Today, the pond with its views of the Palm House reflected in the water or through the fountain's water jets, is a 'must' for souvenir pictures. It is also home to many of Kew's ornamental waterfowl and visiting birds. The Palm House Terrace and Queen's BeastsBetween the Palm House and the Pond, the Palm House Terrace is noted for its splendid displays of seasonal bedding plants, in which Kew's gardeners take great pride. The current (2004) planting was inspired by cottage gardens at the Weald and Down Historic Buildings Museum in Sussex. It contains vegetables and other useful plants and subtly-coloured hybrid bedding plants for a prolonged flowering season. The 'cottages' with their climbing runner beans are constructed with hazel poles from Wakehurst Place while the scarecrows are made from both hazel and willow to give a rural feel. Seemingly standing guard are the Queen's Beasts. These ten heraldic figures are Portland stone replicas of those which stood at Westminster Abbey during the coronation of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. By the same sculptor, the late James Woodford, they were presented anonymously to the gardens in 1956. The beasts, selected from the armorial bearings of many of the Queen's forbears, illustrate her royal lineage. From right to left, seen with the Pond behind the onlooker, they are:- • The Falcon of the Plantagenets Continue the tour
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