Organised by the London Parks & Gardens charity, London Open Gardens 2025 opened the gates to more than 100 green spaces usually closed to the public across the capital.
The annual weekend fundraiser offered Londoners exclusive access to rooftop terraces, community-run plots and historic enclosures, including 10 Downing Street and Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth.
With climate change and funding cuts placing pressure on urban greenery, this year’s theme spotlighted the role green spaces play in wellbeing.
A visit to Marlborough House with the director of London Parks and Gardens Trust Tim Webb was first, and he outlined the mission behind the event and the significance of London’s 4,000 green spaces.
Webb said: “London’s parks are more than pretty backdrops – they’re essential infrastructure.
“Open Gardens is about showing the hidden gems that people walk past every day without realising their value.”
Two more exclusive sites in southwest London were visited: first, the Spurgeon Estate Community Garden where, six years ago, the residents transformed a patch of land into a flourishing space of nature and friendship.
Later, the rooftop garden at the Ismaili Centre in South Kensington, home to the UK’s Ismaili Muslim community, which opened in 1985 as the first Islamic building of its kind.
Each garden certainly told a story of care and of London’s ever-growing need for protected green spaces.
Watch the full video to learn more about these hidden spaces.
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