A Garden in the Sky: A garden visit with unbeatable views
A garden that has long been on my list to visit, after a few sight-seeing trips to London, I was finally able to see this amazing space with views unparalleled.
Sky Garden with views across London
Located at 20 Fenchurch St., the nicknamed ‘Walkie-Talkie’ skyscraper, so-called for its resemblance to a handset, contains the highest public garden in London. Occupying floors 36 to 38, the viewing space offers a garden from which to take in the dizzying panorama of the London skyline. Included as part of the building’s design perhaps for the skyscraper to ease its way through planning (as the building is on the edge of a conservation area), original illustrations with glades of mature trees may have been over-ambitious, but the resulting garden is still worth the effort.
The garden is built upon a steep slope with staircases on either side, nooks and seating areas projecting into the middle of planting areas to allow a moment of rest or to seek sanctuary from what is a popular destination. The planting has several distinct sections, from the ‘Shade Tolerant Forest’ zone containing numerous species of ferns and tree ferns to the ‘Cycad’ zone that merges Mediterranean style planting, such as Madeira cranesbill geranium (Geranium maderense), with more exotic species from South Africa like the native Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae). Though there is a mix of plants from around the world, the garden is all sub-tropical and works well together to get that jungle-like vibe.
Mix of exotic-style planting with Madeira cranesbill geranium, kniphofia and more
The garden is clearly well looked after by head gardener Suzanne Patman, indeed, a couple of New Zealand tree ferns (Sphaeropteris medullaris) had reached such heights they are set to be replaced. During the covid lockdown, her team reinvigorated the garden, recognising the need for more colour, diversity and textural interest bringing in unusual plants such as The Giant Cabuya (Furcraea foetida) and The Foxtail Agave (Agave attenuata) from Mexico. These improvements perhaps recognising the modern Instagram appeal of visitors to the garden.
South African native Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)
New Zealand tree ferns (Sphaeropteris medullaris)
As if this weren’t enough, at ground level the site is home to London’s largest living wall. The 712m2 living wall and its irrigation system, is maintained alongside Biotecture, who created the wall using their own industry-leading patented system.
The record-breaking green wall with the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ building opposite
Popularity in the garden shows no signs of abating despite its early reviews. Upon its completion, there have been numerous critics. The Guardian’s architecture journalist Oliver Wainwright, described it thus:
“The slopes are nice enough, and include little stepped nooks to gossip furtively, but it all speaks more of swanky hotel lobby than Kew Gardens, whose experts lent their advice. It is less a Sky Garden than a Sky Rockery.”
The City of London’s former chief planner Peter Rees concurred with the sentiment saying:
"I think calling it a sky garden is perhaps misleading.”[…]"If people expecting to visit it as an alternative to Kew, then they will be disappointed".
The proposed viewing platform
However, many of the bad reviews appear to lie with a discrepancy with what was promised in the planning procedures and what garden was delivered, or with the seating areas and pitiful offerings of sustenance offerings there. I agree that there is something of the airport waiting lounge about the space but that I think a free garden with exceptional views is well worth a visit, just take a packed lunch.
An airport waiting lounge?
View east to the City
