In case you were thinking I took this pic a couple of months ago and am sneaking it in now, I can assure you that it was taken on the grey and chilly day that was 11 November. I nearly did a double take when I saw it, because a) it’s such an incongruous sight amid office blocks and roaring traffic and b) it seems like autumn never happened. Hardy geraniums, gauras, day lilies and clematis were still flowering their socks off.
It’s called the Christchurch Greyfriars Garden and covers a burial ground on the the site of a church designed by Christopher Wren. Its design matches the layout of the nave: the box-edged beds reflect the original positions of the pews and the clematis- and rose-covered obelisks represent the pillars. It looks romantic, wild and a bit abandoned, and not at all the kind of public space that you generally see in London.
I walked past quite early in the morning, and a girl in last night’s party clothes, looking rather worse for wear, was tidying herself up on a bench – combing her hair, putting on makeup etc.
A few minutes later, I saw her sitting in the reception of the building I was also waiting in. She looked perfectly demure and was discreetly sipping a can of Red Bull.
It has been a remarkably mild autumn. There’s a vigorous clump of marigolds in full bloom on your allotment and I picked over 100 g of raspberries today.
That is true. But this garden must be in a central London microclimate all the same, because there wasn’t a brown leaf or decaying plant in sight! Hope you enjoyed the raspberries : )