Overview
London is one of the greenest cities in Europe. Forty per cent of its area is dedicated to readily accessible parks and public spaces, and while the great parks are known and loved by Londoners and visitors alike, few people know of the many small and remarkable spaces that are dotted through the City and adjacent districts.
This walk encompasses old and new gardens with histories spanning five centuries. In recent years some have benefited from new planting schemes, moving a way from traditional annual bedding arrangements to planting that is more sustainable. Plants have also been carefully chosen to provide seasonal interest, biodiversity benefits and to cope with the increasing footfall of visitors. A number have been created in the bombed-out remains of Wren churches, and these include St Dunstan’s in the East whose ruins have been engulfed in a wide range of wall shrubs and climbers to create a beautiful garden with a haunting atmosphere.
Postman’s Park, beloved as a lunchtime venue for City workers is another small space with a story; the Barber Surgeons' gardens also lie on our path. Charterhouse, a former Carthusian monastery now a retirement home, has a wonderful country garden just beyond the City boundary.
In contrast, the dramatic Brutalist architecture of the Barbican housing estate has been updated with an innovative planting scheme developed by Professor Nigel Dunnett, following his landscaping success around the Olympic Park.
Start and finish
Start: Tower Hill Tube Station 9.45am. Finish: near Monument Station c. 5.50pm.
Price
£220. This includes a good lunch and refreshment breaks, admission charges, one Underground journey, radio guides, services of a tour manager.
More information about Culture Days gift vouchers.
Fitness
The distance covered around 3 miles and you are on your feet for most of the day.
Are you fit enough to join the tour?
Dietary requirements
Please inform us at the time of booking if you have any.
Group size
Between 10 and 18 participants.
Cancellation
We will return the full amount if you notify us 22 or more days before the event. We will retain 50% if cancellation is made within three weeks and 100% if within three days. Please put your cancellation in writing to info@martinrandall.co.uk. We advise taking out insurance in case of cancellation and recommend that overseas clients are also covered for possible medical and repatriation costs.
'This was a wonderful day's tour. It comprised a surprisingly wide variety of well-chosen gardens. I have worked in the City for many years and the tour included gardens I knew, thought I knew and didn’t even know existed!'
'The lecturer's personality, knowledge and vivacious lecturing style, coupled with her observations on the modern, artistic styles of garden design, made this tour. There was a very generous number of gardens to visit, but in such a small area the variety of styles of design was astonishing. This tour had been extremely well researched and planned. Top marks for all involved.'
'I loved the fact that it was all around the London area that you may travel through on a regular basis and all of that delight is hidden, I also loved the history and development connected to each garden.'