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The Garden Museum Review

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The Garden Museum

Address: Lambeth Palace Rd., South Bank, London, SE1 7LB | Map It
Phone: 020/7401-8865
www.gardenmuseum.org.uk

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: South Bank

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Fodor's Review:

Before you even go into this rather absorbing little museum, you just know it's going to have a good story behind it. In the mid-1970s, two gardening enthusiasts were looking for the graves of the John Tradescants (the elder and younger), who were adventurous plant collectors, responsible for introducing many familiar blooms to these shores. Their search led them to a medieval church, right next to Lambeth Palace—which, they were horrified to discover, was about to be bulldozed. Inspired to action, they rescued the church and opened this museum, which has built one of the largest collections of historic garden tools, artifacts, and curiosities in the world. The museum also has its own beautiful walled gardens, which are maintained year-round with seasonal plants. One section contains a perfect replica of a 17th-century knot garden; another is devoted entirely to wildflowers. Of course, it's worth a visit to see the church itself, which also contains the tombs of William Bligh, captain of the Bounty,and several members of the Boleyn family. An extensive refurbishment in 2008 added a new exhibitions gallery, with temporary displays changing every six months. There's also a green-thumb gift shop and The Garden Café serving vegetarian lunches and home-baked cakes.

Cost: £6 (includes garden and all exhibitions)
Open: Daily 10:30-5
Tube: Vauxhall

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