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Visit The Secret Gardens of Spitalfields

May 28, 2014
by the gentle author

Rodney Archer’s garden in Fournier St

With the gracious permission of the owners, on Saturday 7th June from 10am until 4pm, you are invited to visit these hidden enclaves of green that are entirely concealed from the street by the houses in front and the tall walls that enclose them.

If you did not know of the existence of these gardens, you might think Spitalfields was an entirely urban place with barely a leaf in sight, but in fact every terrace conceals a string of verdant little gardens and yards filled with plants and trees that defy the dusty streets beyond.

Please support this opening in aid of charity – tickets cost £12 to visit all six gardens in Spitalfields and you can find out more on the website of the National Gardens Scheme

In Fournier St

In Princelet St

An architect’s garden in Wilkes St

Luis Buitrago, gardener in Fournier St

Rodney Archer’s cat

You may also like to read about

Cable St Gardeners

A Brief Survey of East End Garden History

The Auriculas of Spitalfields

26 Responses leave one →
  1. jeannette permalink
    May 28, 2014

    such lovely sapient kitties and little foufou dogs out enjoying the greenery.

  2. Greg Tingey permalink
    May 28, 2014

    More sleek felines
    I do approve

  3. May 28, 2014

    Beautiful gardens, made all the more lovely by their unexpectedness. Valerie

  4. May 28, 2014

    Oh yummy!

  5. May 28, 2014

    Astonishing places amidst of metropolis — if I wouldn’t already live in a green environment I would want to live here immediately! Very nice.

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  6. Carolyn Badcock - nee Hooper permalink
    May 28, 2014

    Delightful photos! I love that curved rail taking our eyes to the wooden door at the back of the shot! What beauty………………………

    I’ve just been watering my Queensland garden – young mango and mandarin trees, passionfruit vine, cordelias, palms, strezlitzias, cycad, bromeliads……..all bring joy.

    Thanks, gentle author – again.

  7. sbw permalink
    May 28, 2014

    Thank you for showing us these special places. sbw

  8. moy peralta permalink
    May 28, 2014

    Balm to the soul. How refreshing…

  9. May 28, 2014

    Thank you for these lovely squestered gardens in London. Miles away in Ludlow, Shropshire, I too have back garden providing a haven surrounded by tall houses.

  10. May 28, 2014

    this is stunning!! I am so thrilled that you have put these wonderful courtyard gardens up as a post…They are just an absolute pleasure to look at….thankyou gentle author!!

  11. Vicky permalink
    May 28, 2014

    Oh, to die for

  12. May 28, 2014

    I love all the courtyards! Each unique and private…thank you for sharing!

  13. Cherub permalink
    May 28, 2014

    I worked at the SPAB for a while and used to love sitting in the walled garden at the back during lunchtimes, weather permitting. It was like an oasis of calm and hard to believe madness of The City was just a stone’s throw away.

  14. May 28, 2014

    Such delightful gardens, thank you for sharing. I wish I was there but, alas, I am just too far away to attend.

  15. Janice Bradley permalink
    May 28, 2014

    Magical–my favorite Spitalfields Life post to date!

  16. Pauline Taylor permalink
    May 28, 2014

    Chelsea Flower Show, eat your heart out, these are real gardens, lovely.

  17. Victoria permalink
    May 28, 2014

    Very much looking forward to visiting these gardens on their open day. Love the national garden scheme and always looking for new ideas for my own garden!

  18. Stephen Barke permalink
    May 29, 2014

    Your article reminded me of the scheme in Amsterdam where about 30 gardens in the centre of the city are open to the public to visit early in June. A few are attached to museums but most are privately owned and are interesting green spaces behind the narrow brick fronted houses. They are mostly of a formal nature with low clipped hedges and symmetrical beds with gravel paths,

    I hope the weekend is a success.

  19. May 29, 2014

    Pauline Taylor, you are so right to say Chelsea Flower Show eat your heart out as I too thought it was rubbish. It failed to impress me too.

  20. joan permalink
    May 29, 2014

    There is a real art to the courtyard garden. A new London one that is well worth a visit is at the Keeper’s House at the Royal Academy. Their website shows the transformation from unloved corner to something really beautiful in the hands of Tom Stuart-Smith. I was there last week for an author event and couldn’t get over its beauty.

  21. Joanne permalink
    May 29, 2014

    Oh, to be in London!

  22. GoodnightVienna permalink
    June 2, 2014

    I follow you on twitter and your blog always brightens my days. Usually it’s gloom, doom and politics so I always look forward to posts like this. The gardens are beautiful and show what can be done in an Inner City environment to create a peaceful oasis. Thank you 🙂

  23. June 3, 2014

    Looking forward to coming to see them on Saturday

  24. Victoria permalink
    June 8, 2014

    These gardens were a total delight and I came away with so many ideas on how to make my own London back garden more interesting. The creative use of space and high brick walls, girders and hedges to create rooms gave the illusion of far larger plots. The colour schemes, mainly blue, white and purple worked so well and added to the general theme of enchantment. Thanks so much for giving advance notice GA. Victoria

  25. Alan Racheter permalink
    November 24, 2014

    These photos remind me of the lovely summer garden parties at the Rectory in Fournier Street.

  26. wayne webster permalink
    May 14, 2016

    Love the gardens , when i am in london next i hope i can make a visit

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