The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are located on the western edge of the city. The garden complex was founded in 1759 and currently covers an area of 121 hectares. Over 30 thousand species of plants grow here, and the richest herbarium has more than 7 million specimens. In the royal gardens of Kew, the Kew Palace, the Chinese Pagoda, the Alpine House and a huge research laboratory were built.