(continuation)

The aftermath of the First World War nearly caused the demise of the magazine as the publishers could no longer afford its losses, but at a dinner after the Chelsea Flower Show in 1921, Henry Elwes of Colesbourne persuaded his friends Lionel de Rothschild and William Cory to join him in buying the copyright for £250; this they handed over to the Royal Horticultural Society. The association with Kew remained however, and Otto Stapf became editor, with Lilian Snelling as chief artist. Untill 1948 the plates continued to be hand-coloured, but from 1949 colour printing was used and Stella Ross-Craig, whose husband Robert Sealy acted as editor, became the main artist. The Royal Horticutural Society remained as publishers, with Sir George Taylor, Director of Kew, as editor untill 1970, while Margaret Stones became chief artist. Sealy retired in 1968, to be succeeded by David Hunt, who was editor from 1970-1982. In 1970 copyright was taken over by the Bentham-Moxon Trust, and in April 1984 the magazine was renamed The Kew Magazine, with Christopher Grey-Wilson as editor, succeeded by Victoria Matthews. Under the current publisher, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, and the editorship of Brian Mathew, from 1994 untill 2002 the magazine reverted to its former title and Christabel King became, and is now, the principal artist. Martyn Rix is the current editor.