Ivy Croucher from Portsmouth just happened to be in the area and wandered into the garden.Philip and Nina heard about the garden online. Nina's a campaigner on green issues thanks to one of her school teachers. She hoped the garden space would be used by school children and the wider community to learn about nature and how precious it is. The organisers confirmed that walks and talks were being arranged for school children from around London.The volunteers were still working hard to put the final touches to the gardenTom Flynn, photography graduate, has been volunteering for the past couple of weeks and was here finishing off his sun x-ray print area. He loves presenting scientific ideas through art and you can see some of his images on his site: www.tflynn.comFire pit. Yay! Anyone with a guitar or a bag of marshmellows would be welcome to come down to put this to use.Sasha chilling out reading the paper in the sunshine.Nick, Anna and Tim from Flying Orchard Theatre company checking out the garden as part of their planning for the show they'll be produing here.Anna (from Flying Orchard theatre company) and her son, Henry. Henry was touching all the plants and found the lavanders which were a new smell to him. He kept waving to the trains as they went past on the bridge nearby. Anna and her company will be performing at the garden in the next few weeks.One of a collection of sepia images from the day. For more sepia images, click on the link in the article
Imagine what an oasis in the heart of London might look like. Imagine sitting on a bench in the sun reading your paper, feeling relaxed and happy, being surrounded by plants, herbs and flowers that have powers to heal all sorts of ailments.
Now did you imagine your little piece of Eden on a neglected piece of wasteland next to a railway bridge? Probably not, but the rest of it is spot on. Tom Kendall (an architecture graduate) and a dozen other talented, hard-working and inspirational people have spent months planning and constructing a beautiful, healing space for the community to enjoy, the Urban Physic Garden at 100 Union Street, SE1. It opened on Saturday, 11th of June, in bright sunshine, and we had the pleasure of taking some photographs and chatting to volunteers and visitors to give you a taste of what's here for you to enjoy all summer.
This pop-up community garden, realised by a collective of designers, urban growers and volunteers, is shaped by the hospital and pharmacy, and brings together an array of healing herbs and medicinal plants. The plants are organised by hospital departments, and the landscape is constructed from reclaimed timber, salvaged materials and donated plants. Summer in the Urban Physic Garden will be a festival of talks, workshops, film screenings and events, including a rare opening of King's College Life Science Museum. There's a decommissioned ambulance which is serving as the kitchen of Rambling Restaurant serving drinks and seasonal food. Artists, designers, gardeners and health practitioners will be on hand at various times throughout the next few weeks, including the Flying Orchard, a theatre group, who will be performing in the gardens in the next few weeks. Entry is free, and you can view a full schedule of events at the Urban Physic Garden website.
There is a further collection of Hipstamatic photographs from the day here be sure to visit this peaceful, happy place while you can. Let us know what you think if you visit.
Pictures and Story by Angelina South and Stuart Cox
