Love letters uncovered at Kew show love through the ages (From Your Local Guardian)

Love letters uncovered at Kew show love through the ages

6:06pm Tuesday 14th February 2012 in Richmond By Christine Fleming

Declarations of love, and romantic sweet nothings, clearly last the test of time at Kew, if the recent discovery of love letters dating back more than 150 years is anything to go by.

Touching admissions of adoration and passion, recorded in long-lost heartfelt letters to lovers, were discovered at Kew’s Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in time for romantics to seek inspiration.

Kiri Ross-Jones, archivist and records manager at Kew, said: “The human face of the collection is very fascinating and it’s wonderful that the letters have been preserved.

“They give us a real insight into the great botanists, enabling us to see the personal lives of the men behind the science.”

Letters discussing wives and ‘marriage’ were found in the directors’ correspondence collection and personal papers within Kew’s archive collections.

Written by botanical collectors and explorers in the 19th and early 20th century, the letters were highlighted as part of the National Archives Archive Awareness Campaign and reveal the romantic challenges of previous Kew explorers. Angela Owusu, of the Archive Awareness Campaign, said: “What is most captivating is that a lot of the words are so heartfelt that reading the letters feel like you are intruding into the personal lives of the authors.

“Today’s romantics can see that simple gestures are very much the key for expressing romance on a grand scale.”

Letters included in the collection include Kew’s second public director, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker’s letter to his wife Hyacinth while on tour in North America which reads: “I do long to see you again and stroke your face. I am as anxious to be back as you can be and begin to count the days.”

And a note from plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward’s second wife Jean, dating back to 1948, which states: “Thank you so very much sweetheart for a lovely three weeks plant hunting.

“I love you with all my heart forever and ever, oh so much darling if I could only tell you how much.”

Letters can be viewed at Kew Archives’ reading room. To book an appointment to view the collections, contact archives@kew.org or call 020 8332 5476.

Read about events at the archives at kew.org/news/kew-blogs/library-art-archives.