The Garden Museum, London

I’ve walked by the Garden Museum a few times whilst in London and when I found myself with an afternoon free I decided it was the perfect time to visit. I was largely prompted by their temporary exhibit at the time – on until 19 June – called Wild & Cultivated: Fashioning the Rose.

Located just by Lambeth Bridge the museum is an exploration of British gardens and was founded by Rosemary and John Nicholson in 1977. The museum is located inside an abandoned church – St Mary’s at Lambeth – which is the final resting place of John Tradescant (c1570-1638), noted to be the first gardener in British history.

There has been a church on the site since around 1062 but rebuilt around 1337 – it had some repairs done in the 19th century but the tower which you can climb to see these magnificent views of London dates to the 12th century.

Some of the items on display in the permanent exhibition include this automaton – you could activate the man to measure out some seeds –

and this Ancient Order of Free Gardeners which looks very much like Freemason’s paraphernalia.

The Wild and Cultivated: Fashioning the Rose temporary exhibition was particularly interesting, exploring as it does the use of roses in fashion. There were plenty of fun displays of clothes decorated with roses

old photos

and examples of rose’s being used in art.

It’s an interesting place to visit, the only such museum in the UK. You do have to book in advance on the website and then when you arrive give your name to the reception. Adult tickets are £14 which gives access to the museum and the tower, but if you just want to climb the tower for the view you can buy a ticket for £4.

You can find some more photos here.