1759: Princess Augusta, mother of King George III, founds a nine-acre botanic garden within the pleasure grounds at Kew.; 1762: William Chambers builds the Great Pagoda.; 1768: Joseph Banks sends seeds to Kew whilst on Captain Cook's voyage to South Seas, and becomes Kew's first unofficial director on his return.; 1772: Francis Masson, Kew's first plant collector, goes to South Africa and ...