Evening Curator Talks

More about our Curators

Polly Putnam, Collections Curator

Polly Putnam is the curator for collections at Historic Royal Palaces with special responsibility for the Royal Buildings at Kew. She also worked as historical advisor for the Netflix drama Queen Charlotte; a Bridgerton Story.

Polly will give a talk on the life of Queen Charlotte who was married to King George III. This will provide an overview of the life of this fascinating and successful Queen consort with particular reference to her life at Kew Palace.

Polly will also share her experience of being a historical advisor to the show. The evening will conclude with an opportunity for guests to join Polly in a Q&A.

Lee Prosser, Curator of Historic Buildings

Lee Prosser is the curator of historic buildings at Historic Royal Palaces. He was part of the curatorial team which lead the research and representation of Kew Palace in 2006 and is a specialist on historic interiors.

Restoration of the palace was guided by research into the archives, and forensic analysis such as paint analysis, which revealed the long history of the decorative interiors of the palace, from the earliest painted panels, flecked with gold, to a strange late 17th century black phase, and the silks and wallpapers which were hung on the walls in the Georgian period.

Lee will take us through the research and illuminate the earlier appearance of the rooms and the decorative history of the building.