SKINNER SISTERS - THE DOORS OF KEW

A combination of Blackwork and Cross Stitch

Kew Gardens is a lovely town within easy reach of Central London.  In the past, it was the favourite of Royals.  The Royal Botanical Gardens here were begun in 1731 by Prince Frederick as a pleasure garden.  His widow, Princess Augusta, transformed them formally into botanical gardens in 1759.  Kew Palace, on the grounds, was one of George III's favourite homes.  Today the Royal Botanical Gardens is a world leader in preserving, propagating and protecting plant life from all over the world.

While the town that grew up next to the gardens lost its Royal connections, it gained new life in the late nineteenth century as a "suburb" for London.  New housing sprang up in the form of row houses, such as those seen on the front cover of these patterns.  One of the ways to individualise such a home is to give its door some "personality".  The residents of Kew Gardens often chose to do this by placing stained glass panels in their doors.  Given the presence of the Royal Botanical Gardens, it is hardly surprising that plants, flowers, and geometrical designs reminiscent of formal garden layouts prevail in the door designs.  It is these panels which have provided the inspiration for this series of charts, "The Doors Of Kew".

Taken from "The Doors of Kew" by the Skinner Sisters and CatsPaw Designs.

Needlework