Step Outside: Kew Gardens

Kew is one of the most well-known botanic gardens in the world, thanks in part to this enormous Victorian palm house. Completed in 1848, the glass and iron structure, and its tropical palms, are a sight to behold.

Just off the Broad Walk, The Hive is a stunning piece of contemporary art that evokes the sense of being inside a bee hive. LED lights and a soundscape respond to the activity of real hives dotted around the gardens.

Many of the plants at Kew couldn't survive in Britain's grey, damp climate. The Davies Alpine House supports those that thrive in dry, cool, windy conditions of mountainous areas such as succulents and campanulas,

Lose yourself amongst the stone pines, olive trees, and cypresses of this typical Mediterranean landscape. The King William's Temple stands in the middle of the garden, lending a sense of grandeur to the vibrant landscape.

The Great Pagoda was built in 1762 as a gift for Princess Augusta. It was designed by Sir William Chambers at a time when Asian architecture was beginning to become fashionable in Europe.

More like a cathedral than a greenhouse, the Temperate House features over 10,000 individual plants of 1,500 different species, some of which are now endangered in the wild. Here, you can learn how Kew Gardens is working to protect the environment.

Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger), created for the Japan-British Exhibition held at White City in London in 1910, is a near replica of the Gate of Nishi Hongan-ji (Western Temple of the Original Vow) in Kyoto, Japan.

It might be hard to spot, nestled amongst the tall quivering stems of bamboo, but this traditional Japanese cottage can't be missed. This cottage, or minka, belonged to the Yonezu family, who donated it to Kew in 2001.

The 17th-century home of King George III, who preferred the countryside to the urban St James's Palace. Today only the building known as the Dutch House remains, however it is kept in immaculate condition.