[1] It is roughly triangular in shape, and its open grassland, framed with broadleaf trees, extends to about thirty acres.

Kew Green is overlooked by a mixture of period townhouses, historic buildings and commercial establishments.

An 18th-century view, taken from a meadow to the east, shows Kew Bridge on the right, a small irregular lake with an island to the left.

In the early 19th century Sir Richard Phillips described the Green as 'a triangular area of about 30 acres bounded by dwelling-houses,' and another description of a slightly later date speaks of the 'well-built houses and noble trees' surrounding it.

Originally thought to have been a natural pond fed from a creek of the tidal Thames, later enlarged in the 10th century to serve as a fishery.

During high (spring) tides sluice gates are opened to allow river water to fill the pond via an underground channel.

The pond is concreted, rectangular in shape and contains an important reed bed habitat which is vital for conservation and resident water birds.

To the west used to stand the blacksmiths, which had originally been the Rose & Crown; this was demolished in 1900 for the construction of the third Kew Bridge.