September 23, 2020

Out and About - Chelsea Physic Garden

Tucked around the corner from Sloane Square you will find Chelsea Physic Garden, one of London’s oldest gardens.

It was originally founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, with the aim of the garden was to grow plants with medicinal properties to cure what ailed em in a pretty filthy 17th Century London.

The garden opened it's gates the public in 1983 and is still probably of the best examples of a medicinal garden in London today.

The 1600sqm walled garden has over 5000 plants in it - all off which are edible, medicinal or useful in other ways (that's not to say that all plants don't have their use!) so you can easily spend hours here.

Chelsea Physic Garden courtesy of Andy Sedg

With so many herbal plants, the smells are incredible (in the most part) - and it is built into areas so you can spend some time learning a bit about what plants do what.

Be sure to check out the Dicotyledon Order beds (try saying that after a drink or two) have over 800 plants laid out according to their families, so are great if you're trying to swot up on your plant knowledge.

https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/dicotyledon-order-beds

The historic glasshouses are also incredible - not only will they give you some serious greenhouse envy, these amazing structures are filled with loads of rare and exotic plants that you'll struggle to see anywhere else in London.

As we are all trying to get back to nature a bit, especially when it comes to our health, it's fascinating to see how many plants there are and all the different things they've been thought to cure in the past and things that are proven in modern day.

Fancy a visit? The garden is open 11am-5:30pm Sunday-Friday until 30th October, when it will close for the winter. Booking is essential and can be done here - get yourself down there!

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