Chelsea Physic Garden

A rare and wonderful enclosed garden dating from the seventeenth century. It was begun, in 1673, as a garden in which to grow plants for medicinal purposes. Though it remains a garden for botany, the Physic Garden has the appearance of an ornamental garden with straight walks at right angles to each other. The garden's position near the Thames was chosen to allow non-native plants to grow in the warmer microclimate created by the river. The first renaissance botanical garden was the Orto Botanico in Padua. Both a botanical garden and a pleasure garden, it is a delightful place to be on a summer afternoon and is loved by local residents and visitors.

The Chelsea Physic Garden is on the London Gardens Walk and included in the eBook guide to the London Gardens Walk