Five Lost Gardens Of London

One of my favourite small museums in London is the Garden Museum. It was set up in Lambeth in 1977, I have written a blog post on the full history behind it before here.

The Garden Museum is inside the old church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. There has been a church here since at least the 11th century, with the current building dating partly from the 14th century (the tower) and the 19th century (the nave). 

It was deconsecrated in 1972 and was due to be demolished, but thankfully, was saved by a couple called Rosemary and John Nicholson. They set up a trust and raised enough money to turn it into the Garden Museum. 

The old church is a wonderful setting for a museum and you can also climb up the tower to get wonderful views over to Westminster. 

From the 23rd October 2024- 2nd March 2025 they have a very interesting exhibition on called Lost Gardens of London. 

On my walking tours and on the blog, I often focus on the incredible array of little gardens, pocket parks and green spaces throughout the capital, so it was fascinating to learn more about some of the gardens that have vanished over the centuries. 

Here are five, of many, that are highlighted in the exhibition: 

1. Surrey Zoological Gardens

In 1831 a 13 acre site, previously part of the Manor of Walworth, was leased by the Surrey Literary, Scientific and Zoological Society to set up a public zoo. The society was established by Edward Cross, who had previously run a menagerie on the Strand. It shut in 1829 and the animals either went to London Zoo or to the Surrey Zoological Gardens.

A huge conservatory, roughly 300ft in circumference, was constructed, at the time the largest conservatory in England. It was used to house, in cages, animals such as lions, tigers and giraffes, but was also an exhibition space. 

They also staged huge dramatic re-enactments of events using painted backdrops, models and pyrotechnics. 

The first was in 1837 and depicted the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, with the lake in the park representing the Bay of Naples and fireworks being let off. 

The painting below is from 1844 and shows the temporary spectacle of the ‘Wonders of Elora’. The gardens were sold for development in 1877 and only a small part retained, today’s Pasley Park. 

2. Dr Phene’s Garden

Dr John Samuel Phene (1822-1912) was a wealthy and eccentric architect who, in 1903, constructed a five-storey townhouse on Upper Cheyne Row in Chelsea.

He decorated it with all sorts of adornments and ornaments. It was referred to by his neighbours as the ‘freak’ mansion and the ‘Gingerbread Castle’. The Pall Mall Gazette in 1912 said ‘From pavement level to sloping roof it is a jumble of twisting columns and quaint symbolic figures. There are cupids, ancient goddesses, mermaids, imps, and the rest without end.’

He also proceeded to fill the mansion’s gardens with statues and oddities, a jumble of ‘meaningless iron and marble, ecclesiastical symbols, baths, allegorical nymphs and cupids and church furniture’. 

The garden was always a private space, but, after he died, everything was being sold off and it attracted all sorts of collectors and dealers. A newspaper said it was ‘a nightmare of incongruities in marble and stone and terracotta- Gustave Doré at his wildest pitch- Madame Tussaud gone raving mad!’. The mansion was demolished in 1924. 

3. William Curtis Ecological Park 

In around 1770 William Curtis (1746-1799), a botanist, established a small botanic garden at the bottom of Bermondsey Street and in 1771 took a larger piece of land near Lambeth Marsh.

Here he gathered the largest collection of native British flora ever brought together in one place. It was the ‘first independent botanic garden with the emphasis on British native flora… open by subscription to a wide range of people, both professional and amateur’. The garden moved to a couple of other sites and was kept going after his death until 1829. 

In 1976 the William Curtis Ecological Park, named after him, was established on a derelict lorry park by Tower Bridge. Set up by Max Nicholson and the Trust for Urban Ecology, it was one of the very first urban ecology parks in the country.

It was, however, always intended to be temporary. The garden closed in 1985 and hundreds of local school children joined the ‘great frog rescue’, moving 5,000 frogs to safety.

4. Holland’s Leaguer 

Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Holland established her high-class luxurious brothel called Holland’s Leaguer, on Bankside in the early 1600s. This area was outside the control of the City authorities, in a ‘liberty’ known as the Paris Garden. The Paris Garden covered roughly a hundred acres and had meadows, orchards and gardens.

Holland’s Leaguer was located in a manor house, with its own riverside garden, moat and drawbridge.

Inside you could expect fresh linen, fine cuisine, ‘modern’ plumbing, gambling and dancing. King James I and his advisor George Villiers are both said to have visited. 

In December 1631 the authorities tried to shut the notorious brothel down. Bess simply raised the drawbridge, sending the approaching soldiers into the moat. The ladies then apparently dumped their chamber pots in after them. 

It is said to have been besieged on and off or a month before being finally shut down. 

5. Mystery House

This one intrigued me because, as the name suggests, the location is a mystery. 

Six watercolours from 1858 depict a house located somewhere on the margins of the metropolis. They are by an artist called Thomas Hosmer Shepherd, best known for his views of Regency London and topographers agree that they likely depict somewhere in London. 

The house is relatively unremarkable but the gardens are very curious. 

For example the one below depicts a large antiquarian piece of woodwork with lots of references to St Peter, such as his portrait, a cockerel and fishing nets. 

Has anyone got any ideas?

The Mound

A final bonus, the exhibition reminded me of the infamous Marble Arch Mound from 2021.

Who else had forgotten about this?! It was erected to give views over Hyde Park and London, but shut after six months after many complaints. It was dismantled and the plants given to a local housing estate.  

Visiting

The exhibition is on until 2nd March 2025 and the museum is open from 10am-5pm Monday-Sunday.

A full price adult ticket costs £15, but there are also plenty of discounts available. Students are £8.50, senior citizens are £12 for example.

Find out more here.

Thank you for reading, more London history below!