A one day meeting to celebrate the life and work of Victorian botanist, plant hunter and Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker. There will be a varied programme of talks and an opportunity to see Joseph Hooker collections behind the scenes at Kew. Leading scholars and researchers will consider Joseph Hooker's place in the history of science as well as his continuing influence on current botanical research in related fields.

Delegates are invited to an evening event at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art (from 6pm) for a chance to see 'Putting Plants in their Place,' an exhibition showcasing Joseph Hooker's work through Kew's unique historic collections. The evening view of the exhibition is included in the event price (but please make sure you select the ticket that includes this option). Price also includes entry into the Gardens, lunch and refreshments.

This event will appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of science, particularly botany, botanical illustration, exploration and empire. It will also present an attractive programme for those interested in the history of Kew Gardens as well as scientific work being carried out today at Kew and beyond.

Programme

Registration will commence at 9:45am for a 10:15am start to the conference. The conference will conclude at 5:45pm with an evening reception an private view of the exhibition 'Joseph Hooker: putting plants in their place' in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art from 6pm-8pm

Themes of the programme will include establishing botany as a scientific discipline, exploration (from India to Antarctica), biogeography and island floras, and evolving botanical practices including the continued importance of botanical illustration.

Full Programme

How to Find Us

The closest underground station is Kew Gardens which is on the District Line and London Overgound and is about a 10-15 minute walk from the recommended entry gate Jodrell Gate or a short bus ride on the 391 bus towards Fulham, for the Jodrell Gate alight at the Mortlake Road stop.

The closest national rail station is Kew Bridge about a 10-15 minute walk from the recommended entry gate Jodrell Gate, or a short bus ride on the number 65 bus towards Kingston. For the Jodrell Gate alight at the Mortlake Road stop.

The 391 and 65 bus routes serve the Kew Gardens area. For the Jodrell Gate alight at the Mortlake Road stop.

Please come to the Jodrell Laboratory building for registration.

As Kew Gardens does not open to the public until 10am please enter via the Jodrell Gate which is accessed from the Kew Road (see map) and will open early for conference attendees.

You will be able to enter and exit the gardens from any public gate from 10am and throughout the day. When you enter or renter the gardens you will need to show the gate staff an electronic or paper copy of your ticket for the event.

The gardens close at 9:00pm and you are welcome to remain and enjoy the gardens after the confernce and/or reception if you wish.

Lunch and lunchtime tours

There will be a long lunchbreak from 13:15 -14:45 during which we will be offering lunchtime tours of the archive, the herbarium and an explorer bus tour around the gardens. You will be able to sign up for these during registration. Places are limited and will be granted on a first come first served basis.

A packed lunch will be provided so you can enjoy a break out in the gardens (weather permitting!). If you have not advised us of any dietary requirements for yourself or your group please do so as soon as possible via joseph.hooker[at]kew.org

Evening Reception

For those attending the evening reception after the conference on Friday 30th June, this is a private view of the exhibition in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery entitled 'Joseph Hooker: Putting Plants in their Place' commencing at 6:00pm. Please retain your conference ticket for entry to the evening reception. The Shirley Sherwood Gallery is approximately a 15 minute walk through the Gardens from the conference venue. Please notify us if you have any mobility needs and we may be able to assist you in getting between venues.

The Shirley Sherwood Gallery will remain open for the reception and private view until 8:00pm, drinks will be provided.

Speakers:

Jim Endersby - Reader In The History Of Science at the University of Sussex, and author of 'Imperial Nature: Joseph Hooker and the Practices of Victorian Science'.

Nina Schuback - A biological oceanographer from Curtin University, Western Australia. Member of The Swiss Polar Institute Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition which is doing fascinating research along a very similar route to that taken by Joseph Hooker 175 years ago. Nina's research involves phytoplankton analysis.

Cam Sharp Jones - Project Officer on the Joseph Dalton Hooker Correspondence Project, based in the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Cam will be speaking about the digitisation and transcription of Joseph Hooker's letters and exploring the insights to be found in the correspondence of a man at the heart of the web of Victorian science.

Mark Carine - Principal Curator in Charge of the Algae, Fungi and Plants Division at the Natural History Museum, London. A plant systematist with particular interests in island floras and biogeography.

Seamus O'Brien - Manager of the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh, Seamus has followed in Joseph Hooker's footsteps botanising in the Himalaya.

Sailesh Pradhan - A plantsman and Rhododendron expert from Sikkim, India.

Lucy Smith - Botanical Illustrator. Speaking on "Joseph Hooker and his artist Walter Hood Fitch - The continuing tradition of botanist and artist collaboration". Co-authored with William Baker Head of the Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology Department at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Eve Lucas - Research Leader, Comparative Plant & Fungal Biology Department, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Eve will introduce a history of botanical classification with emphasis on the importance of the classification proposed by Bentham & Hooker in the 19th century until the most recent update of the APG classification proposed in 2016.

Colin Clubbe - Head of Conservation Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Speaking on Joseph Hooker's legacy in the UK Overseas Territories.

Lulu Rico - Honorary Research Associate at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Speaking about her research in collaboration with Cristina Duarte, Maria Romeiras, Arnoldo Santos-Guerra, Chiara Nepi, Javier Francisco-Ortega into the J.D. Hooker historical collections made in Madeira, Canary Islands and Cape Verde in 1839.

Please direct any enquiries to joseph.hooker[at]kew.org

This conference has been made possible

thanks to the support of Frederik Paulsen

Supported by The Bentham-Moxon Trust

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