Garden Museum
- Garden lovers
- History enthusiasts
- Families with children
What Visitors Say
This this like a boutique museum, exquisite and refine, even the restaurant is different, organic and nice people gathers here for lunch and coffee. What I still don’t understand is why if this is a Garden Museum, they do not take care of the small garden portion of a St. Mary’s garden next to them, they share land, dividers, corner and one is beautiful and the next door is full of rubbish and the plants are dying there. :( I understand that the st. Mary’s Garden is Lambeth Council responsibility but you are the Garden Museum! And this, not nice view and place is at your door steps, it won’t do any harm if from time to time you extend your care for gardens and plants to this small space in front of your entrance, I believe. :( First two pics are the Garden Museum the others, literally a few steps ahead are from the St. Mary’s small garden. :(
A little gem. I've lived in London for ages and yet this is the first time I've visited. It is small but worth making the effort. Do book ahead for lunch in the cafe - more of a restaurant at lunchtime. Especially at weekends. There are lovely tables in the garden outside. Also, there is a shop onsite. We visited the Cedric Morris exhibition which lifted my soul - so beautiful. I'm looking forward to visiting Benton End once restored.
A peaceful museum to exhibit interesting works and historical details of gardening. While enjoying cafe and garden, you can always relax yourself here.
A lovely little museum built within a church. The church itself is interesting with a very beautiful font from Marble and the garden Museum and The history is beautiful thoroughly recommend whether you’re into gardening or not.
The tower is closed. They are trying to fundraise to reopen. The museum is worth visiting. The Rory McEwen exhibit was beautiful and touching. Make sure to visit the cafe. We were able to book a table online after being told they were fully booked.
Highlights
The Nave Galleries
Big ideas about gardens in a small footprintFrom cottage borders to modern planting, rotating displays show how taste, tools and technology shaped British gardens.
Main church space
Tradescant Tomb & Churchyard
Resting place of England’s great plant-huntersThe Tradescants’ ‘Ark’ of curiosities fed London’s fascination with exotic flora—seed by seed, voyage by voyage.
South side of the church
Courtyard Garden
Urban planting as a living exhibitA pocket garden shows structure, seasonality and pollinator-friendly choices you can steal for a balcony or yard.
Café terrace
Tower Climb
131 steps to perspectiveFrom the belfry, the Thames curve and Parliament snap the museum’s ‘green London’ story into place.
West end spiral stair (ticketed/limited access)
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Explorer–gardeners John Tradescant the Elder and Younger are buried here; their famed ‘Ark’ collection helped seed Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum.
Admiral William Bligh (Mutiny on the Bounty) is buried in the churchyard; his later career focused on transporting breadfruit and improving naval victualling—gardening by another name.
The museum exists because locals saved the deconsecrated church from demolition in the 1970s—creating Britain’s first museum dedicated to gardens.
