The hustle and bustle of London can leave many bewildered and stressed. While short respites can be found in the many city parks, beautiful gardens are a rarer find. Below are the top three ‘secret gardens’ in London.
Chelsea Physic Garden
Aptly described as a ‘secret walled garden’ in London, the Chelsea Physic Garden is a startling find in fashionable Sloane Square.
Founded in 1673, by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London, it is London’s oldest botanic garden dedicated to medicinal botany. Harbouring exotic plants and herbs from different regions across the globe, the garden is filled with alternative therapy cures. Need a cure for toothache? Chew on some Aboriginal eucalyptus. Nerve damage? Try some capsicum to alleviate the pain.
Europe’s oldest rock garden sits at the centre of an unmarked crossroads, each path leading off to a distinct carefully laid out section. Like the city it resides in, the garden is a diverse, global village with South African, North American, Maori, Chinese, Indian and European medicinal plants lying harmoniously within high red bricked walls, carefully preserving centuries of fragile collections.
Kyoto Garden, Holland Park
Holland Park in Kensington hides a beautiful Japanese Kyoto Garden a stone’s throw away from the busy London streets. Truly an unknown city gem, the garden was built in the early 1990s to celebrate the Japanese Festival in London.
In the midst of Holland Park’s spacious grounds, a gently cascading waterfall leads into a brightly coloured koi –filled (carp) pond. Surrounding maple trees and Japanese topiaries painted upon the pond’s obsidian-like surface lends to the feeling of tranquillity and peace you associate with a Japanese garden.
A roaming peacock struts nonchalantly on a pebbled path, slowly walking the distance around the small pond while a short stone platform is perfect for sitting and contemplating the meaning of life.
Geffrye Museum Gardens
Nestled in Shoreditch, close to the City of London, the Geffrye Museum Gardens is a delightful surprise to find London’s inner city. Housed behind a museum, the gardens are also reflective of the history of English gardens in the past few centuries. Starting from the 17th century to the 20th, the gardens are a timeline of style and changing tastes amongst the English middle-class.
Fragrant flowers, leafy shrubs and a walled herb garden transcend time and give an insight into town gardens of the day. Flowing wisteria and climbing roses lend an elegance and charm to the fortunate wanderer. The romantic Jane Austen like settings takes you on an imaginative journey into the past where petticoats and parasols were the order of the day!
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