Secret gardens of London
Yes, we all want to live on a well-groomed garden square. Alternatively, we love London’s generous public parks. But not everyone can snag a villa – and access – to an exclusive patch. And those oversized parks get a wee bit crowded when the sun shimmers.
So, instead of peering enviously through the railings of a confined square or fighting for a spot to perch your picnic, forage for your own pocket-sized piece of nature.
Simon Rose, as accomplished at spotting small green spaces as houses, believes that during lockdown we realised that accessible slivers of wildlife are vital for many, especially “those stuck in a flat with a child and dog.”
Rose’s favourite town retreat is botanic Chelsea Physic Garden on Royal Hospital Road, with 5,000 varieties or herbs, edible and medicinal plants. Nurturing plants since 1673, now your tastebuds can also be nurtured in the café. Annual membership to the gardens is a reasonable £53 per annum.
He also tips nearby Ranelagh Gardens, once the site of Ranelagh Pleasure Ground in the 18th century. This verdant spot east of the Royal Hospital is still offering pleasure to walkers today.
Rose’s latest green discovery is tree-lined Redcliffe Square Gardens. “Not many people know it’s open to the public,” he points out. Run by Kensington & Chelsea council, it has a playground for younger children, with new planting and seating planned this year.
Image: London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Locations Hub
Tom Tangney favours St Mary Abbots Gardens, tucked off Kensington High Street. “You see people relaxing there, with their shopping bags and lunches.” A former churchyard, the little-known garden opened in 1953. Also, check out the roses next-door in the Alec Clifton Memorial Gardens, once a wasteland behind the Old Town Hall.
Tangney’s also a fan of the tree-filled grounds of The Actor’s Church (St Paul’s) on Covent Garden’s piazza. “A number of the capital’s churches have pretty gardens where you can contemplate on life.”
Image: Joseph Grimaldi Park - Wikipedia
Other hidden gardens include:
Joseph Grimaldi Park
World-famous pantomime clown, Joseph Grimaldi, is buried in this unexpected patch of serenity off busy Pentonville Road, Islington.
Postman’s Park
Download the free Everyday Heroes of Postman’s Park app while touring over 50 ceramic plaques celebrating self-sacrificing citizens like Harry Sisley, aged 10, who drowned attempting to save his brother in 1878. Right next to St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London.
Image: London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Locations Hub
Kyoto Garden
Created as part of London’s Japan Festival in 1992, many people have rested (yasunda) in Holland Park’s Japanese garden, with the peacocks, koi carp, Japanese trees and plants – and energy-restoring waterfall.
Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola
Creepers climb the columns of a slice of faded Edwardian grandness in a quiet corner of the West Heath. Lord Leverhulme built this as a setting for his parties.
Sky Garden
London’s highest public garden – three storeys of lush greenness on the 35th floor of the Walkie Talkie. Sip a cocktail on the open-air terrace and appreciate the views.
Image: Secret London
St Dunstan-in-the-East
Go east, young explorer, to a Grade I-listed bombed out medieval church shrouded in vines and branches. Fans of TV sitcom Friends might recall Ross marrying Emily here. It didn’t end well, alas – a shame, as normally everything is rosy in London’s secret gardens.
by Cheryl Markosky