Discover London's Secret Open Spaces

Visitors will have a rare opportunity to peer behind the walls of many of London's private community gardens and squares over the weekend of 7 and 8 June during Transport for London Open Garden Squares Weekend. Over 170 venues will take part, offering a range of horticultural delights and curiosities including formal set-pieces, typical English flower gardens and the prison gardens at Holloway, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs.

Organised by the London Parks & Gardens Trust, the event aims to celebrate London's open spaces and highlight the important contribution they make to the life of the capital. Transport for London is supporting the event and encouraging people to make the most of their visit with the help of the walking journey planner www.tfl.gov.uk/walkingjourneyplanner .

Gardens taking part in the annual event for the first time range from former stately homes to private courtyards. Highlights include:

• 13 acres of lawn and gardens still reflecting the 18th-century landscape design at Fulham Palace, the home of the Bishops of London until 1973
• the walled gardens at Charlton House, one of the finest surviving Jacobean manor houses in England
• Hothouse Loddiges Garden - dedicated to the Loddiges family, who managed one of the most notable 18th and 19th century plant nurseries, with planting based on illustrations from the 18th century periodical The Botanical Cabinet by Conrad Loddiges
• Conisbee Courtyard - featuring a vertically planted wall, an experimental rubble roof and central water feature. Designed by Landscape Architect / Garden Designer Marie Clarke
• Maggie's Centre - which will open in April 2008 and offer support to those affected by cancer. The building has been designed by Lord Rogers and the garden by celebrated garden designer Dan Pearson
• The sunken gardens in Malet Street, which offer a haven of peace in the bustling Bloomsbury area
• Waterlow Court - designed in 1904 by the architect H.M. Baillie Scott as part of the development of what are now Grade-II* listed Edwardian cloistered flats originally commissioned by the Industrial Model Dwellings Company as a communal residence for professional single women
• The formal garden and Old Varieties Orchard at Heathfield in Croydon

Old favourites such as Edwardes Square, the hidden gardens of Notting Hill, Garden Barge Square and the artistic Bonnington Square will once again participate in the 2008 Open Gardens Squares Weekend.

Date:

Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2008

Venues:

Over 170 gardens and squares in London

Tickets:

£6.00 advance - one ticket allows entry to all venues over entire Weekend.
Advance ticket hotline 020 8347 3230 (Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm) and on-line booking provided by Capital Gardens (www.capitalgardens.co.uk) until Monday 2nd June.
£7.50 on the weekend from the Britain and London Visitor Centre, 1 Regent Street, SW1Y 4XT, and selected gardens.

Information:

www.opensquares.org

Additional Information

• Full details about all the participating gardens and squares are included in the guide which is given free with tickets. Information can also be found at www.opensquares.org along with the latest on special events.
• Open Garden Squares Weekend is run by the London Parks & Gardens Trust to raise awareness of the significant social, cultural, environmental and economic contribution that squares make to the capital and its inhabitants. The Trust provides a centre for education, research, and creative projects for the improvement and conservation of London's green urban spaces. www.londongardenstrust.org
• In 2008 Open Garden Squares Weekend celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Originally London Garden Square Day, it was initiated in 1998 by a local resident who imagined a day 'when all the gardens could be open to the public when local communities could celebrate the day with fêtes and fairs'. 40 private garden squares participated in the first year.
• The London garden square is one of the capital's most popular and valuable features, with a rich history stretching back to 1631 when the Covent Garden Piazza was completed. By the late 18th century the square design had been perfected, with Bedford Square, WC2, a shining example. For further information, please see www.londongardenstrust.org/history/squares.htm
• In addition to private and limited access gardens and squares, a selection of public gardens will participate in the event.