London Open Garden Squares Weekend is a lovely event put together by London Parks and Gardens Trust in association with The National Trust. It began in 1998 and every year since a growing number of hidden gardens have been opened up to the public for one weekend during the summer.
One of the many things I love about London is the number of green spaces. Although I now consider myself a bit of a townie my original country girl routes still crave green spaces and fresh air. For the un-initiated to London this may seem hard to find. The reality is that even the busiest parts of London have little areas of green tranquility; you just have to look a bit harder.
From Bloomsbury to Bethnal Green, from Hackney to Hampstead and everywhere else in between, there are hundreds of gardens waiting to be discovered. Thats where Open Squares Gardens weekend comes in. There is a real variety – from the traditional private squares to contemporary roof gardens, not to mention skips, barges, museums, schools and allotments. Many of these are normally closed to the public and even those that aren’t are often largely undiscovered. We had a great time over the weekend discovering just a handful of these.
Gardens can be places of peace and tranquility, they provide healing and rehabilitation for troubled bodies and minds. They are places for solitary contemplation and places where communities can come together. Open Squares Gardens is the perfect showcase for all these things.
