Straddling the borders of Highgate and Haringey on the Archway Road, is the Jackson’s Lane Arts Centre, originally a Wesleyan Methodist church built in 1902. Since the 1970s however, it has been a largely volunteer run arts centre, nurturing dance, circus and theatrical talent (alumni include Eddie Izzard and David Walliams) while running a collection …
Gardens
Save our water voles!
Any of you Wind in the Willows fans? If so I am sure you will know that Ratty (seen here chortling away with Mole in Philip Mendoza’s delightful sketch) was a water vole, not really a rat at all although water voles were often called water rats – or water dogs! But Ratty’s descendants are …
A day out in Greenwich
Tuesday was such a perfect late autumn day that I decided to down tools and go on an expedition. Where to go? Somewhere which would offer both nice walking and something interesting to see. Greenwich seemed a no brainer. In fact, Greenwich offers so much to see that I could have been there a week …
Bracken and ferns in Highgate cemeteries
Did you know that although they look almost identical brackens and ferns are very different plants? In my ignorance, I didn’t, until I showed up for last week’s gardening session at Highgate cemeteries. This is a fern, all of its leafy stems shooting up, fountain-like, from a central bole. While ferns do spread they are …
Reopening of Camley Street Natural Park
After four years of dedicated work – majorly delayed by the Covid crisis – the much loved Camley Street nature park in the heart of King’s Cross is to reopen on October 13th. 10 – 4pm, Wednesdays to Sundays. To quote from their new website: Camley Park is a unique urban nature reserve, surrounded by …
Welcome to a plantswoman’s garden in Faversham
As you walk up the street towards Sarah Langton-Lockton’s house in Faversham your eye is caught by a blood red cloud of dahlias and rose blossoms clustered around the gate to her house – a foretaste of the plantsman’s feast that will greet you in her garden. (For those who want to know, the rose …