Kew, Turks and Caicos Islands

Kew
Village
Kew Show map of Turks and Caicos Islands Kew Show map of Caribbean
Coordinates: 21°54′50″N71°59′28″W / 21.914°N 71.991°W / 21.914; -71.991
Country	United Kingdom
Overseas territory	Turks and Caicos Islands
District	North Caicos
Climate	BSh

Kew is a village located on the island of North Caicos in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The village contains several small houses, churches, small shops, a library and a police station. The surrounding areas consist of heavy vegetation, earning Kew the nickname 'garden of the Turks and Caicos'. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

History

The village is named after Kew, (then) Surrey, England. ^[5] It was formerly the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands. ^[4]

In the late 1700s, the village was the location of settlement by Loyalists that were granted settlement by the British crown in the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War. Large cotton plantations were built in the location of the village and operated into the 1800s. Ruins of these plantations include Teron Hill, St. James Hill and Wades Green Plantations. ^{[1] [4]}

The main attraction there is Wade's Green Plantation. The American Loyalist Wade Stubbs was granted land in 1789 in Kew by King George III of Great Britain as compensation for his lost land in British Florida that was confiscated by the Americans. ^[6] Wade set up a sugar plantation there and had a large number of slaves working on it until his death in 1822 but before the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. Following the abolition of slavery, Kew ceased to be a major agricultural area in the Turks and Caicos Islands due to soil degradation, flora diseases and economic changes. This led to Wade's plantation to be abandoned until the 2010s when the ruins of the plantation house and outbuildings became promoted as a tourist attraction. ^[7]

References

1. "Royal Britannic Gardens, Kew". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
2. "Kew Public Library". Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
3. "KEW – ENGLISH". Cogoptci. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
4. ""Once the capital"". Cityseeker. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
5. "Kew". Visit Turks and Caicos Islands. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
6. "Wade's Green Plantation - National Trust Turks and Caicos". Turks and Caicos National Trust. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
7. "Wade's Green Plantation". Visit Turks and Caicos Islands. Retrieved 9 July 2025.