Page 90 - Raffles09_March2022

88
RAFFLES MAGAZINE
Natural
− CURATION −
London is one of the world’s greenest cities with as many leafy escapes as urban landmarks, and connecting with nature is even possible indoors while exploring the capital’s broad array of biophilic-design buildings that bring the outside world in...
1. Hill Gardens and Pergola, Hampstead
Once the private garden of soap magnate Lord Leverhulme, this hidden Georgian arbour and terrace on Hampstead’s famous heath is now overgrown with wisteria and roses, and beautiful for a stroll off the beaten track.
2. The British Museum, Bloomsbury
The undulating glass roof of the British Museum’s inner courtyard connects visitors with the London cloudscape above, creating a calm, inspiring space in the heart of Bloomsbury.
britishmuseum.org
3. Alexandra Park, Haringey
Home to Alexandra Palace, as well as a boating lake and deer enclosure, this tree-lined hillside park’s crowning glory is its panoramic view of London. alexandrapalace.com
4. The Barbican Conservatory, Moorgate
Everything from palm trees to cacti can be found flourishing within this concrete jungle, located in the middle of the sprawling Brutalist Barbican complex. barbican.org.uk
5. Crossrail Place Roof Garden, Canary Wharf
Designed to evoke a ship laden with exotic specimens, as inspired by its site on the Meridian line, this urban paradise feels worlds away from the suits and skyscrapers of Canary Wharf. canarywharf.com
6. Sky Garden, Fenchurch Street
Sometimes you have to ascend to truly escape the hustle and bustle of the capital, as London’s highest public garden at 20 Fenchurch Street proves. skygarden.london
7. Red Cross Garden, Southwark
Created by social reformist Octavia Hill in the 1880s, Red Cross Garden was London’s first pocket park, serving as an ‘open air sitting room for the tired inhabitants of Southwark’.
bost.org.uk
8. St James’s Park, Westminster
Originally founded as a deer park for the royal occupants of St James’s Palace, this park is now most famous for its giant pelicans, first gifted by the Russian Ambassador back in 1664. royalparks.org.uk
9. Chelsea Physic Garden
Established in 1673 to grow plants for medicinal purposes, this botanic garden has its very own microclimate created by the Thames, and is home to the world’s most northerly outdoor grapefruit tree. chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk
10. Isabella Plantation, Richmond
Azaleas and rhododendrons create a spring explosion of colour in this enclosed woodland garden hidden within the vast green expanse of Richmond Park. royalparks.org.uk
SELECTION