Tucked away beside the Thames and hidden behind an old stone wall lies one of the most tranquil places to be found in the capital. It’s the Chelsea Physic Gardens, the second oldest botanical garden in England and the oldest rockery in the Western world. Founded in 1673 by the Society of Apothecaries, the garden is home to over 5000 plants. Originally an apothecary garden, it remains an important place for the study of medicinal plants.
I have to circle around the whole garden before I finally find the entrance, an old metal gate overgrown by ivy plants. It’s hidden in the middle of a small back alley surrounded by many beautiful Victorian townhouses. The ticket for one entrance is £10.50 for an adult, but I get away for only £6.95 by showing my student card. There’s almost no one in the garden, expect for a few older gentlemen, who listen to one of the volunteers giving a free tour around the garden.
From the second I enter this green oasis, it seems like all hectic and chaos an overwhelming London sometimes gives you have been forgotten. It’s quiet. Almost awfully quiet. There are no traffic sounds, no planes, no stressed-out Londoners rushing past you. I walk through the narrow paths and the different areas such as the Pharmaceutical Garden, the Garden of World Medicine or the Garden of Edible and Useful plants for more than an hour feeling more relaxed by the minute.
From the second I enter this green oasis, it seems like all hectic and chaos an overwhelming London sometimes gives you have been forgotten.
To finish my experience in the botanical garden I treat myself to some coffee and cake in the gardens own Tangerine Dream Café. While they’ve lovingly been caring about the garden, it seems that the café hasn’t received the same attention tough. The small brownie for a steep £3.50 tastes like it has been out there for at least one day and the Cappuccino (£2.50) isn’t good quality either. The service is slow and unmotivated and the café has the feel like being in a care home canteen.
Although the Tangerine Dream Café is rather a nightmare than a dream, I’d still recommend this garden wholeheartedly. Whether you go there for the study of plants or just for fun, it’s a beautiful and well cared-for garden, a true place to calm down. It’s the perfect place to get a break from this wonderful though sometimes overwhelming city.
See more reviews here: Visit London and Time Out
lisaaeschlimann 