London Gardens

Large Gardens: Day Trip Destinations

Many of London's most famous gardens are on a grand scale, former private estates designed to dazzle. Garden lovers visiting these pages should check out these gems:

• Kensington Palace Gardens: a variety of garden landscapes, including the 19th-century Italian Gardens
  
  
• Hampton Court Palace Gardens: devised by Henry VIII as a magnificent display of opulence
  
  

• Eltham Palace: original medieval gardens with Art Deco elements

  

• Syon House and Gardens: 16 hectares (40 acres) of garden landscaped by the renowned garden innovator Capability Brown

• Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew: 121 hectares (300 acres) housing over 30,000 types of plant, Kew Gardens have a 250-year history and are a World Heritage site

Smaller Gardens: Perfect for a Stroll

London is also home to many smaller gardens, offering a brief respite from the buzz of London life. Some of the most picturesque include: 

• Chelsea Physic Garden: This unique London garden was founded in 1673 for the cultivation of medicinal plants. Today, the garden hosts a Garden of World Medicine and a new Pharmaceutical Garden.

  

• The Kyoto Japanese Garden in Holland Park: This striking London garden was created as a "strolling garden" in 1991. Plants and pruning techniques are carefully selected and maintained to reflect this style.

• Charlton House Peace Garden: Charlton House is one of Britain's most magnificent Jacobean houses. In 2006, one of its original walled gardens was opened to the public. It was dedicated as a Peace Garden in support of Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

• Fulham Palace: The palace has recently been re-opened to the public after extensive restoration work. Its spectacular gardens include an 18th-century walled garden and a variety of rare shrubs.

• Chiswick House Gardens: These stunning London gardens were designed in the eighteenth century by William Kent. Kent's idealised vision of the Italian countryside transformed British landscape gardening. The gardens are still being restored to their original splendour, but are well worth a visit.

• The Garden Museum: Complete your exploration of London gardens by visiting this museum devoted to British gardening history. The 900-year old former church building is set in an extraordinary garden of its own. This fine reproduction of a seventeenth-century knot garden boasts historically authentic plants and ornamentation.