Kew

Kew is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. It is situated 7.1 miles (11.4 km) west south-west of Charing Cross.

Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is also the home of Domesday Book which is on public display at The National Archives (previously known as the Public Record Office).

Since 1965 Kew has incorporated the former area of North Sheen which includes St Philip and All Saints, the first barn church to be consecrated in England. It is now in a combined Church of England parish with St Luke's Church, Kew.

"Kew Village" refers to the parades of shops adjoining Kew Gardens station. It contains the Kew Bookshop, a whole foods store, several independent retailers, restaurants and cafes. A village community market is held on the first Sunday of every month. There are also major high street retailers at the nearby Kew Retail Park (originally known as Richmond Retail Park).

Today, Kew is a popular residential area because of its open spaces, schools, transport links and proximity to Kew Gardens. Most of Kew developed in the late 19th century, following the arrival of the District Line of the Underground, and is characterised by large detached or semi-detached houses. Further development took place in the 1920s and 1930s when new houses were built on the market gardens of North Sheen and in the first decade of the 21st century when flats and houses were constructed at Kew Riverside on land formerly owned by Thames Water.