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80 Dragons Return to London’s 18th-Century Pagoda

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80 Dragons Return to London’s 18th-Century Pagoda
One of the eight-hand carved wooden dragons carved in eight different workshops by esteemed master carvers. Richard Lea-Hair/Historic Royal Palaces
Lorraine Ferrier
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No one knows where the dragons went. In 1762, 80 gilded dragons adorned the Kew Gardens Great Pagoda in London, but by 1784 there were none. The rumor that rings true is that the dragons were removed after rotting from the Little Ice Age that hit Europe around the time.

Whether these fiery creatures had an icy demise or not, we may never know. The folly, or ornamental building, was built as a gift for the founder of the Kew botanic gardens, Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III. The architect Sir William Chambers designed not only the pagoda, but also the Mosque and the Alhambra; neither of them exist today.
Lorraine Ferrier
Lorraine Ferrier
Author
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
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