Kew Gardens has closed with immediate effect, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
The west London botanical garden, and its sister site, Wakehurst in Sussex, will remain shut until further notice, in line with current guidance on social distancing.
Richard Deverell, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said:
We wanted to keep our botanic gardens open for as long as possible, to offer our visitors a space of tranquillity and beauty at this stressful time.
However, our absolute priority is the health of our visitors and staff.
A reopening date hasn't yet been suggested, but school trips to the venue are cancelled until at least 31 May 2020.
Behind the scenes, horticulturalists will continue to care for the plant collection. If you've already pre-booked tickets, someone from Kew will be in touch regarding your options. Kew, which operates as a charity, has asked people in this situation to consider donating their ticket fee to the gardens, which will in turn go towards the science and conservation work that takes place at Kew.
See more information about the closure on the Kew Gardens website.
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