Kew Gardens Aerial Walk Opens
May 24th, 2008 Posted in Visitor AttractionsKew Gardens officiallly opens their new Xstrata Treetop Walkway today.
As part of Kew’s summer festival, which is scheduled to run until 28 September 2008, the walkway will take “visitors on a thrilling, innovative and educational journey around the Gardens, from deep underground to the unseen, green world of the tree top canopy”. In short visitors will be given “the opportunity to journey from the fascinating root system, learning about a tree’s life underground, to the top of the tree canopy to explore biodiversity from above” (source: Kew Gardens press release).
The press release continues “The pioneering structure of the Xstrata Treetop Walkway is an ingenious design based on a Fibonacci numerical sequence, often found in nature’s growth patterns. Designed by Marks Barfield Architects, the architects of the London Eye, it has a low environmental impact in keeping with the overall underlying environmental message behind the festival.”
“Supported by the Hanson Environment Fund, Kew’s Rhizotron (taken from the Greek rhiza, meaning root) will give visitors a unique opportunity to delve into the underground world of trees. The Rhizotron, entered through an apparent crack in the ground, will show visitors the lively natural world beneath the trees, explaining the vital relationships between the trees roots and the micro-organisms in the soil. Then, rising 18 metres into the air, the Xstrata Treetop Walkway will allow visitors to wander through the canopy of sweet chestnuts, limes and deciduous oaks to discover birds, insects, lichens and fungi that rely on these huge organisms. This 200 meter long walkway will not only be a thrilling, tranquil and intimate experience, but will also offer a unique birds-eye view of the vast 300 acres of Kew, as well as the London skyline”.
Tony Kirkham, head of RBG Kew’s arboretum [...] said, “As a trained arborist I have had the privilege of being up in the tree canopy; experiencing trees at height and birds and other wildlife from a completely different perspective. It’s fantastic that we are able to give visitors the same experience and we hope it will make them realise that trees do matter and we need to nurture them.”
For further information visit the Kew Gardens website or have a look at the BBC News report of the walkway.
Tags: Kew Gardens, London, Visitor Attractions
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