Tickets Now On Sale For Transport For London's Open Garden Squares Weekend
TICKETS are now available for Transport for London’s Open Garden Squares Weekend,
which takes place over the weekend of June 13 & 14, 2009. Organised by the London
Parks & Gardens Trust, more than 190 gardens throughout Greater London will
be participating, with 25 taking part for the first time. A ticket for the weekend
costs just £6.75 in advance or £8 on the weekend and allows you to visit as many
gardens as you would like over the weekend.
The Event’s Organiser, Val Burton: “Open Garden Squares Weekend is a wonderful opportunity
to visit a vast array of gardens – these include the magnificent Eaton Square, to
the traditional gardens of Notting Hill through to the prison gardens of HMP Wandsworth;
Wormwood Scrubs and Holloway (which need to be booked in advance). Also taking part
for the first time will be the allotments in Fulham Palace; the delightful garden
at the Rococo Chocolate Shop in Motcombe Street [See Illustration] and hidden garden
at the Goring Hotel [See Illustration]. There are gardens to suit all tastes and
styles and with the tickets being a fifth of the price of those for the Chelsea
Flower Show, it is a great way to get inspiration and practical advice.”
For the second year, the event is being sponsored by Transport for London (TfL).
Peter McBride, Head of Cycling Walking and Accessibility at TfL said: “London is
full of world-class parks and gardens and the Open Garden Squares Weekend is a great
opportunity for people to explore those that are not normally open to the public.
“Walking between the gardens and squares is a quick, healthy and enjoyable way to
discover some of the Capital’s most interesting green spaces. Most are within easy
walking distance of a Tube station or bus stop allowing people to travel at their
own pace and soak up their surroundings as they go. Who knows, you might even discover
walking to be a quicker and easier way of getting around for lots of other journeys
too.”
Several of the gardens will offer activities for children and there will also be
a cycle route around Bloomsbury and Hackney, as well as an organized cycle ride
starting at 10am at Marylebone Station on the Sunday. Also over the weekend, TfL
will hold a roadshow in Russell Square which will provide information and advice
on walking and cycling. They will also be hosting two free walks on each day around
Bloomsbury and the City. These will be on a first come first serve basis and more
details can be found
here.
One ticket allows entry to all venues over entire weekend. Ticket prices are £6.75
in advance or £8 if bought during the weekend. These can be bought from the advance
ticket hotline on 020 8347 3230 (Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm) which is provided by Capital
Gardens, as well as the Britain and London Visitor Centre on Lower Regent Street,
and from selected gardens during the weekend. Details of the gardens selling tickets
are available here
here.
New Gardens For 2009
- A large enclosed piazza at the British Library (NW1) is accessed through a monumental
gateway offering a retreat from the busy Euston Road and you are immediately met
by a larger-than-life sculpture of Isaac Newton by the late Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.
Part of the piazza is laid out as a sunken circular performance and seating space,
bounded by hedges and high walls, topped by 'Planets' - a set of sculptures by Anthony
Gormley.
- The British Museum (WC1) has collaborated with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew
to create an Indian-themed landscape on the Museum’s west lawn.
- Established in 1844, Church Estate Almhouses (TW9) has shrub, tree and flower borders
surrounding a lawn and a secret garden for residents to the rear.
- The Creekside Centre (SE8) is a purpose-built environmental centre, with a living
brown roof. It is set in a highly diverse landscape at Deptford Creek, which is
a haven for hundreds of fresh and salt-water plants and animals. River dipping sessions
will take place during the weekend.
- Durand Gardens (SW9) were neglected for many years until the residents bought them
in the 1980s and since then, they have been kept as woodland gardens.
- The Walled Gardens and Herb Garden at Eastbury Manor in Barking (IG11) are a hidden
gem looked after by National Trust volunteers.
- Nestled on half an acre of land in Stoke Newington is a brand-new community garden
in bloom, run by the London Wildlife Trust. East Reservoir Community Garden (N4)
has mini-meadows and hidden vegetable patches. The site also has a sustainable eco-classroom
with a living roof and solar panels while a secret bird hide overlooks the reservoir.
- Emery Walker's House (W6) is one of a terrace of 17 Georgian houses overlooking
the Thames at the west end of Hammersmith’s Upper Mall. It is the best-preserved
Arts and Crafts interior in Britain.
- The Estorick Collection (N1) in Islington was formed during the 1950s, and is known
internationally for its Futurist works, as well as Italian figurative painting and
sculpture from 1895 to the 1950s.
- Heavily bombed during World War 2, the Fann Street Wildlife Garden (EC2) remained
wasteground until the 1980s, when the garden was first created. It is a private
residents' garden that makes up part of the Barbican Estate and is recognised as
a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation.
- Fulham Palace Meadows Allotment (SW6) has 406 plots and was a gift from the Bishop
of London in 1916. It is a unique inner-city haven.
- A delightful enclosed garden tucked away behind the Goring Hotel (SW1) - a family-owned
hotel in Belgravia.
- The gardens of Gray's Inn (WC1) are known as the Walks. It was Sir Francis Bacon
(1561-1626) who laid them out in 1606 when he was Treasurer at Gray's Inn.
- Hickey’s (TW9) comprises 49 almshouses and a beautiful chapel dating from 1834.
It is situated around a large grassed quadrangle, with flowerbeds outside each house.
- A recently created garden in Linden Lodge (SW18) - the training school outside the
HMP Prison Wandsworth, which has a museum in its grounds with a current exhibition
featuring Britain's last hangman, Harry Allen. There are no restrictions on who
can visit it.
- Built in 1758, Houblon's Almshouses (TW10) is the walled estate is one of Richmond’s
oldest almshouses. The residents pride themselves on the colourful flower gardens
- The House of St Barnabas in Soho (W1) has been helping homeless people change their
lives for over 160 years. The 18th-century building has a private chapel which forms
two sides of a small, secluded courtyard garden
- King Henry's Walk Garden (N1) in Islington was once a derelict site that has been
transformed by volunteers into a beautiful organic garden, providing an opportunity
for local residents to grow their own vegetables, fruit and flowers
- The communal courtyard garden of Lady Mico's Almshouses (E1) has raised flower beds
and window boxes on the overlooking balconies
- MaRoCoCo Garden (SW1) is the small courtyard garden behind Rococo Chocolates, created
by Chantal Coady, the shop's founder. Once a neglected city space, the garden now
features a Moroccan tile mosaic and is filled with fragrant plants – all the ingredients
used by Rococo such as rose, lavender, geranium, mint, jasmine, even a coffee plant
- Established in 1695, Michel's Almshouses (TW10) were re-built in 1811. The gardens
feature trees and mixed shrub and flower borders
- Roehampton House was built in 1710 by the esteemed baroque architect Thomas Archer.
The grounds and gardens, which have been sensitively reinstated, are protected by
the building's Grade I-listed status. The original Sunken Garden and Rose Garden
have now been restored to their former glory. The beautiful gardens provide a setting
for both the historic façade and character of Roehampton House, and the new homes
created by St James, now known as Queen Mary's Place (SW15).
- Local residents, including schoolchildren, enjoy the community garden at the Tate
Modern (SE1) that was opened in 2006.
- University College London (WC1) is the third-oldest university in England, having
been founded in 1826. During the weekend, the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
will be open and the Student Drama Society will be giving an evening performance
in the Front Quad.
- This attractively planted garden, Victoria Square (SW1) is an unexpected haven of
tranquility. Part of an integral unified residential layout of 1838-39 designed
by Matthew Wyatt, the garden was refurbished in 2005 and now boasts a bronze statue
of Queen Victoria.