Blog Post April 2016 by Wendy Dobing


Posted on April 04, 2016 at 11:48 AM


  The garden in the sky (in London)

The Sky Garden is situated within the top floors of the glass building affectionately known as The Walkie Talkie Building (and officially known as 20 Fenchurch Street) There's a great view of the iconic architecture east to west of the Thames: Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, The London Assembly Building (where Sayed Khan lives) HMS Belfast and several of London's bridges and The Shard stands dead opposite. It is also possible to see Wembley Stadium and the Crystal Palace transmitter on the horizon.

To see the view on the east and west sides a stepped pathway in The Sky Garden takes you past the landscaped garden and up to the North facing (interior) open space where you can see the Cheese Grater (The Leadenhall Building) and The Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe) Buildings. It's possible to pause and enjoy the view amongst the succulent greenery with the clever seating subtely hidden within.

The bar area below serves food and drink including tea and coffee and there's some high and low seating at tables. A few brightly coloured sofas can be found by the windows, complete with coffee tables, cushions and rugs that look like real grass!. There are also a few quirky painted free standing sculptures of bicycles for a modern urban and fun feel.

A restaurant can be found on the mezzanine level above and just next to the entrance to this there is a platform that you can look down from.

This visit was not only free but incredibly enjoyable to all visitors. I managed to choose a day of excellent weather (with a touch of pollution haze!). It is amazing that The Shard opposite charges a costly £25 per person to visit, a price well out of reach for the average family. I hope to go back to see The Sky Garden in the evening sometime. That's another side of London beyond North, South East and West!

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