Transport for London Open Garden Squares Weekend: Discover London’s Secret Open Spaces!

Visitors will have a rare opportunity to peer behind the walls of many of London’s private community gardens and squares over the weekend of 7 and 8 June during Transport for London Open Garden Squares Weekend. Over 170 venues will take part, offering a range of horticultural delights and curiosities including formal set-pieces, typical English flower gardens and the prison gardens at Holloway, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs.

Organised by the London Parks & Gardens Trust, the event aims to celebrate London’s open spaces and highlight the important contribution they make to the life of the capital. Transport for London is supporting the event and encouraging people to make the most of their visit with the help of the walking journey planner www.tfl.gov.uk/walkingjourneyplanner .Gardens taking part in the annual event for the first time range from former stately homes to private courtyards. Highlights include:

· 13 acres of lawn and gardens still reflecting the 18th-century landscape design at Fulham Palace, the former home of the Bishops of London until 1973
· the Walled gardens at Charlton House, one of the finest surviving Jacobean manor houses in England
· Hothouse Loddiges Garden - dedicated to the Loddiges family, who managed one of the most notable 18th and 19th century plant nurseries, with planting based on illustrations from the 18th century periodical 'The Botanical Cabinet' by Conrad Loddiges
· Conisbee Courtyard - featuring a vertically planted wall, an experimental rubble roof and central water feature. Designed by Landscape Architect / Garden Designer Marie Clarke
· Maggie's Centre – which will open in April 2008 and offer support to those affected by cancer. The building has been designed by Lord Rogers and the garden by celebrated garden designer Dan Pearson
· The Sunken gardens in Malet Street which offer a haven of peace in the bustling Bloomsbury area
· Waterlow Court – designed in 1904 by the architect H.M. Baillie Scott as part of the development of what are now Grade-II* listed Edwardian cloistered flats originally commissioned by the Industrial Model Dwellings Company as a communal residence for professional single women
· The formal garden and ‘Old Varieties Orchard’ at Heathfield in Croydon

Old favourites such as Edwardes Square, the hidden gardens of Notting Hill, Garden Barge Square and the artistic Bonnington Square will once again participate in the 2008 Open Gardens Squares Weekend.

Date: Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2008

Venues: Over 170 gardens and squares in London

Tickets: £6.00 advance – one ticket allows entry to all venues over entire weekend. Advance ticket hotline 020 8347 3230 (Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm). Provided by Capital Gardens
£7.50 on the weekend from the Britain and London Visitor Centre, 1 Regent Street, SW1Y 4XT, and selected gardens

Information: www.opensquares.org

Full details about all the participating gardens and squares are included in the guide which is given free with tickets. Information can also be found at www.opensquares.org along with the latest on special events.

Open Garden Squares Weekend is run by the London Parks & Gardens Trust to raise awareness of the significant social, cultural, environmental and economic contribution that squares make to the capital and its inhabitants. The Trust provides a centre for education, research, and creative projects for the improvement and conservation of London’s green urban spaces. www.londongardenstrust.org

· In 2008 Open Garden Squares Weekend celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Originally Open Squares Day, it was initiated in 1998 by a local resident who imagined a day ‘when all the gardens could be open to the public when local communities could celebrate the day with fetes and fairs’ . 40 private garden squares participated in the first year.

· The London garden square is one of the capital’s most popular and valuable features, with a rich history stretching back to 1631 when the Covent Garden Piazza was completed. By the late 18th century the square design had been perfected, with Bedford Square, W1, a shining example.

· In addition to private and limited access gardens and squares, a selection of public gardens will also participate in the event.

HOLLAND HOUSE GARDENS

One of the gardens participating is Holland House, W8

The original Holland House was a Jacobean mansion, built in 1607 for Sir Walter Cope, James I’s Chancellor of the Exchequer. In the 18th century it was owned by Charles James Fox, who became leader of the Whig party. In the early 19th century Lady Holland held a salon here, attended by such famous names as Sheridan, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Wordsworth and Dickens.
During WW2 the house was bombed and destroyed by fire. Afterwards the remains of one wing were repaired. With new buildings designed by Sir Hugh Casson and Neville Condor, this now forms the King George VI Memorial Youth Hostel. It was officially opened by HM the Queen on 25 May 1959.
The garden is laid mainly to lawn, surrounded by beds containing shrubs and perennial plants with some annuals for additional colour. There is a large, well-stocked pond in front of the old Holland House, visited by mallards, moorhens, herons and Holland Park’s peacocks.

Open: Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 10am–5pm
Entrance: Holland House Youth Hostel is accessed by the Duchess of Bedford Walk gate to Holland Park on Holland Walk, approx. 50m from the gate on the right when entering the park.
Access: The entrance to the garden is down a flight of seven steps.
Nearest stations: High Street Kensington, Holland Park
Buses: 9, 10, 27, 28, 49, 328 + 52, 70, 94, 148, 452
Activities: Refreshments on both days.
Conditions: No picnics.
Website: http://www.hollhse.btinternet.co.uk/hostelinfo.htm

Whilst water gardeners are here, it worth nipping round into Holland Park and taking a look at the fabulous Japanese Garden that can justifiably call itself one of the best in the country, especially in early May when all the Rhododendrons and Azaleas are out.

Here's another garden of a very different type:

Meanwhile Gardens, W10Meanwhile Gardens, W10

Once 4 acres of derelict wasteland, this is now a lush fertile spot in a densely populated part of North Kensington, an area which badly lacks green space.
The gardens are designed to welcome people with a wide range of interests. Nature lovers can enjoy exotic and native plants and special wildlife areas, mixed borders and wooded areas; schools regularly visit our large pond full of wildlife. There is a play hut with a safe, stimulating play and learning environment for children.
At one end a scented courtyard offers space for quiet contemplation; at the other our free state-of-the-art skate-bowl draws skateboarding enthusiasts all year round.
Visit our beautiful Moroccan Garden, created in partnership with our local Moroccan Women’s Centre, and learn more about food-growing in our raised beds area. The gardens provide opportunities for volunteering and education schemes.

Open: Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 10am–5pm
Entrance: Elkstone Road, Golborne Road, Kensal Road, Canal Side
Nearest station: Westbourne Park
Buses: 23, 28, 31, 328 + 18, 36
Activities: To be announced – see our website.
Website: http://www.meanwhilegardens.com
Senior community gardener: Phil Paulo