When I visit London and ignore the speed and convenience of the underground in favour of a bus ride, I’m pleasantly surprised by just how green the city is.
From the top deck you can spy at almost every turn a tree-lined square, a tiny strip of green or that tantalising perfect garden.
Of course some of them are set aside for residents, or those with royal duties, but there are plenty open to all, as long as you know where to look.
The City of London has hidden gardens and peaceful churchyards which provide a welcome reprieve from the hectic hustle and bustle of the Square Mile.
This is a walk we created to take in a few of our favourites. It’s a little over 2 miles and allows plenty of time to stop and stare.
All Hallows by the Tower
We start right by the Tower of London in the sunken garden of All Hallows.
The church is the oldest in the City of London and one of the few to escape the Great Fire of 1666.
In fact, as the blaze raged, Samuel Pepys crossed the road from his home in Seething Lane to climb the brick tower of All Hallows to watch the flames progress.
Nowadays, the little garden is an oasis of greenery.
St Dunstan’s in the East, London
One of our favourites and open all week long.
Just a stone’s throw from the Tower of London, it’s on a busy, office-lined street which tourists usually avoid. Seek it out, and you will find a piece of perfection amongst the nearby tower blocks.
There was a church here in Saxon times then a Gothic structure was erected in 1100 which, like so much of the neighbourhood, was almost totally destroyed by the Great Fire of London. Pudding Lane is not far away.
Enter the saviour of the London skyline Sir Christopher Wren who redesigned the church with a soaring tower which still stands today.
Sadly the rest of the church was severely damaged in the Blitz, but the site was converted to a garden which opened in the 1960s.
Climbing plants weave their way in and out of the stonework and there are magnificent trees – magnolia, fig and beech – providing dappled shade for all comers.
It can get very busy during weekday lunchtimes, with office workers on a break. At weekends, it’s the haunt of photographers and film location scouts.
Yet it remains eerily quiet, with just the muted hum of traffic going by.
Postman’s Park, London
Just a few minutes walk from St Paul’s Cathedral is a park which takes its name from workers at the the nearby Old General Post Office who used to eat their sandwiches there.
It holds one of the capital’s most touching memorials, a series of ceramic plaques dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives to save others.
It’s also famous as a key location in the award-winning film, Closer, starring Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Clive Owen.
A key plot point of the film is the fact that the character Alice Ayres has fabricated her identity based on one of the plaques on the Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice.
Inner Temple Gardens, London
Blink and you’ll miss these.
You have to be there on a weekday between 12.30 and 3pm to get into the garden around the four Inns of Court.
Time it right and you’ll be able to relax in a peaceful three-acre garden with beautiful borders and sweeping lawns.
Victoria Embankment Gardens
Created in the 1870s on a patch of reclaimed land near Charing Cross, the gardens mark the changing face of the Thames.
York Water Gate was built in 1626 by Inigo Jones for George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham.
If you look closely, you can still see the Buckingham family coat of arms on the top of the gate. At the time of its construction it stood right on the riverside, but is now some 150 metres from the water’s edge.
More about London’s secret gardens
There are dozens more green spaces dotted around London. To find them all check out the City gardens guide here
You can also download a leaflet on city garden walks or find details of how to arrange a guided walk.
Visiting London and want to know how to get around using public transport? Check out the Visit London transport guide here.
Additional photographs are copyright their respective owners and reproduced here under Creative Commons License
Where to next?
• Chateau du Rivau – a garden for all ages
• Foxton Locks
• 7 unmissable things to do in Bath