About Plant Cultures

Aims

The central aim of Plant Cultures is to convey the richness and complexity of links
between Britain and South Asia, through the story of plants and people. It is aimed at
anyone interested in understanding the world around them.

Why South Asia?

Britain and the Indian subcontinent have had an immense impact on each other, from the
early traders and travellers of the 17th century, to the East India Company and British
Empire, and then to independence and population movements in the 20th century. Much of
this story is intimately bound up with plants, whether as trade commodities, food, or as
subjects for artistic and religious expression.

It’s a relationship that continues to be important today. British Asian communities form
over 4% of the population of England and Wales, and over 25% of the population of cities
such as Leicester. Asian food, medicine, religion, music and film have all had a big impact
on Britain’s cultural landscape. Taking a global perspective, the issue of fair trade
between Europe and Asia is rising up the political agenda. Everybody benefits from
understanding more about these changes.

What does the website do?

The Plant Cultures project covers both the historical and contemporary aspects of Britain
and South Asia. Some topics will be familiar – the British Empire, Asian cooking and mehndi
(henna painting). Some will be less familiar to many – the ancient traditions of South Asian
art and medicine, or the role of sacred plants such as holy basil.

The Plant Cultures website brings together a wide range of resources: historic images from
museums and libraries, well researched information, contributions from members of the public,
and carefully chosen links to other web resources.

The website is supported by an extensive outreach programme, in Bradford, Leicester, Liverpool
and London, and by garden trails and activities in a wide range of locations. Downloadable signs are available
for adaptation and use by botanic gardens, schools and museums.

Funding

Plant Cultures is funded by Culture Online, a Department of Culture, Media and Sports
initiatives that aims to enable more people, both school children and adults, to engage
in culture in a variety of new ways.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is carrying out the project with a range of partners
who are contributing to the project in kind.

Website

The website is a collaboration between NYKRIS and Kew Gardens’ computing group.
NYKRIS is responsible for the appearance of the web pages, while Kew has built the databases
that power the picture and story libraries, and other underlying functions.

Easy navigation, and accessibility for all users, have been a high priority during design.
More information is available on the accessibility page.

What next?

The website launched in its full
form in February 2005. To keep up-to-date with developments in Plant Cultures, please sign up for our newsletter.

Acknowledgements

Plant Cultures also thanks all contributors of stories to the project. Their names
(and, often, photographs) will be found in the Story Library.

Culture Online
Director	Jonathan Drori
Technical Manager	Paul Bason
Development Producer	Daniel Tagg

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Project Chair	Monique Simmonds
Project Manager	Mark Nesbitt
Assistant Project Manager	Julia Steele
Outreach Officer	Kerry Rowe
Computing co-ordinator	Sally Hinchcliffe
Programmer	Jim Riordan
Botanical researchers	Helen Sanderson, Melanie Howes, Laura Harrison
Art researcher	Jim Kay
History researcher	Shashi Sen
Grow It researcher	Sally Cunningham
Photographs	Paul Little, Tom Attwood, Laura Ponsonby, Nicola Fryer, Andrew McRobb
Image curation	Jessica Dolan, Bryony Morgan, Kate Daley

NYKRIS Digital Design
Managing Director	Philip Read
Project Managers	Shashi Desai, Martin Godfrey
Creative Team	Cath Bates, Ali Cobb
Technical Team	Roland Dunn, Alex Wybraniec

Natural History Museum
Curators	Julie Harvey, Martin Beasley

Victoria and Albert Museum
Curator	Rosemary Crill

Wellcome Library, London
Picture Library	Catherine Draycott
Curator	Nigel Allan

The British Library
Curator	Jennifer Howes
Researchers	Preetha Nair, Shashi Sen

Bradford Council
Co-ordinators	Steve Manthorp, Brendan O'Hara

Spice!
Co-ordinator	Jan Smithies

Bradford Community Environment Project
Co-ordinator	Jane Robinson
Outreach worker	Shahnaz Begum
Photographer	Mike Barrett

Museum of London
Co-ordinator	Lucie Amos
Outreach workers	Lisa Maddigan, Lynda Agard

Leicester City Museums
Co-ordinator	Nick Gordon
Outreach worker	Sally Cunningham

National Museums Liverpool
Co-ordinators	Kate Rodenhurst, Kate Johnson, Claire Duffy
Outreach worker	Adele Spiers