About Our Educational Archive
Since 2015, we've been Britain's main digital archive for botanical history. We provide carefully curated resources for teachers, researchers, and enthusiasts who want to explore the nation's plant heritage.
Our Educational Mission
Preserve
- 12,847 historical documents digitised
- Victorian-era botanical illustrations
- Manor garden blueprints from 1650-1950
- Scientific expedition journals
- Agricultural tool catalogues
We preserve Britain's botanical legacy through careful digital archiving, so these resources remain available for the future.
Educate
- Interactive learning modules
- Curriculum-aligned resources
- Virtual garden tours
- Teacher training workshops
- Student research projects
Our educational programmes reach 2,340 schools every year, helping to inspire new botanists and conservationists.
Connect
- Cross-institutional collaboration
- Public engagement events
- Academic research support
- Heritage society partnerships
- International knowledge exchange
We connect historical knowledge with modern understanding, building links between different fields of study.
Meet Our Editorial Team
Four dedicated specialists bring decades of experience to curating and explaining Britain's botanical heritage. Each team member offers a unique perspective from their field.
Dr Sarah Matthews
Chief Curator & Historian. PhD Cambridge, specialising in Victorian botanical expeditions. 15 years at Kew Gardens.
Prof. James Thornton
Research Director. Former Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Expert in plant taxonomy and nomenclature history.
Emma Richardson
Digital Archivist. Masters in Information Science, University of Glasgow. Leads our digitisation initiatives.
Michael Hartwell
Visual Content Specialist. Fine Arts degree, Edinburgh College of Art. Specialist in botanical illustration history.
Academic Advisory Board
Our advisory board includes leading academics and institutions from across Britain and Ireland. These partnerships help our content meet high scholarly standards while staying accessible to everyone.
Professor Dame Elizabeth Blackwell, CBE
Former Director of the Natural History Museum, London. Dame Elizabeth chairs our advisory committee, bringing forty years of experience in natural history curation and public engagement. Her expertise in Victorian scientific expeditions has been key to understanding our expedition archives.
Dr Hamish MacLeod
Head of Research, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Dr MacLeod's work on Scottish highland flora provides important insights for our forestry and landscape collections. He contributes to our quarterly research bulletins and supervises student placements.
Professor Catherine Williams
University of Oxford, Department of Plant Sciences. Professor Williams specialises in the history of plant classification systems—her research directly shapes our taxonomic archives. She's written 127 peer-reviewed papers and three books on botanical names.
Sir Geoffrey Pemberton
Former President of the Royal Horticultural Society. Sir Geoffrey's deep knowledge of British manor gardens and estate landscapes gives crucial context for our architectural garden records. His personal collection of 18th-century garden plans has been digitised in our archive.
The board meets every three months to review new acquisitions, assess educational programmes, and guide our strategy. Their combined expertise ensures every resource is academically sound and useful for education.
Institutional Partnerships
Working with Britain's leading botanical institutions adds depth to our archive and helps us cover the nation's plant heritage fully.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Primary partnership established 2017. Access to their herbarium records dating back to 1759, plus collaborative digitisation of expedition journals from Joseph Banks' voyages. Joint research projects on plant introduction patterns across the British Empire.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Collaborative research on Scottish flora since 2018. Shared access to highland plant surveys and climate data spanning 200 years. Their Chinese garden collection documentation significantly enhanced our international plant introduction archives.
National Trust
Partnership covers 847 historic properties. Digital preservation of garden records, plant inventories, and landscape management documents. Notable collaborations include Sissinghurst Castle Garden archives and Hidcote Manor restoration records.
University Botanical Gardens Network
Formal agreements with Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, and Glasgow university gardens. Student researchers contribute 3,000 hours annually to our digitisation efforts. Joint publication of research findings in peer-reviewed journals.
British Library
Access to manuscript collections including John Gerard's "Herball" (1597) and William Curtis's "Flora Londinensis". Collaborative preservation of botanical illustrations and rare book digitisation projects worth £2.3 million in funding.
Contact Our Archive
Whether you're a teacher looking for resources, a researcher with a question, or someone who wants to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.
Visit Our Office
45 Suite 3/12
Falkirk Business Hub
45 Vicar Street
Falkirk, Scotland
FK1 1LL
Archive viewing by appointment. Research facilities available Tuesday-Friday, 10:00-16:00.
Speak Directly
Phone: +44 116 370 49 97
Email: info@UKBotanicalHistory.com
Research enquiries typically responded to within 48 hours. Educational partnership discussions welcome.
Collaborate
Research partnerships
Educational collaborations
Heritage contributions
Volunteer opportunities
Join our network of contributors. From scanning documents to expert review, there's a role for everyone.