Lost Gardens of London

Thousands of gardens have vanished across London over the past five hundred years – ranging from princely pleasure grounds and private botanical gardens, to humble allotments and defunct squares, artists’ gardens, eccentric private menageries and the ecological parks of the twentieth century.

Guest curated by landscape architect and historian Dr Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, Lost Gardens of London explores this legacy and reveals tantalising glimpses of some of the rich and varied gardens that once embellished the metropolis.

Did you know that Southwark once had a zoo? That for a short spell Britain’s first ecological park was built within a stone’s throw of Tower Bridge? Or that one of the capital’s most celebrated botanical gardens now lies beneath the platforms of Waterloo station?

Paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and maps bring these lost gardens to life, depicting changing trends and fashions in gardening while exploring London’s enduring love affair with nature, and how green spaces have always been a vital part of life in the capital.