Nature in the City

From Anglo-Saxon herbs, to a rare Chinese tree, the City of London is a surprising haven of natural beauty, says green-fingered Green Badge guide, Sarah Williams-Robbins.

You may think of the City of London as a fast-paced centre of finance, full of skyscrapers and deal-makers. It is, in parts. Yet the ‘Square Mile’ is so much more. The City of London is the original London, founded by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago. So, with over 1,000 years more history than neighbouring Westminster, the City has deep roots. And it is home to beautiful, sometimes hidden, green spaces, with fascinating histories.

Roman Fort, City of London. Copyright Sarah Williams-Robbins

Shakespearean remedies

In the Golden Globe-winning movie Hamnet, Agnes, wife of William Shakespeare, is most at home in the forest and returns daily to gather herbs and roots. It’s also where she heads to give birth. While Jessie Buckley is the star of the film, the star plant is Mugwort, or Artemisia Vulgaris, if you want its Latin name. Mugwort is one of the nine herbs considered sacred to our Anglo-Saxon ancestors. It features in the Old English ‘nine herb charm’, a healing spell, which Agnes recites in the film.

Mugwort can still be found growing here in the City, among the ruins of the Roman Fort, now a site of importance for nature conservation. Mugwort was also known as ‘Una’ and was used to help many aspects of female reproductive health. It has edible leaves, and can be made into teas and tinctures. It was also thought to connect us to the dream world: In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon drinks the juice of ‘Dian’s bud’, a reference to the goddess Diana, or Artemis – so this is possibly Mugwort, or Wormwood, which has hallucinogenic qualities.

Shakespeare plaque in Silver Street. Copyright Sarah Williams-Robbins

How fitting that a sacred plant is still growing only metres away from one of Shakespeare’s former lodgings, in Silver Street, now absorbed into the post-war road, London Wall. London Wall itself becomes ‘Wormwood Street’ further east, a nod to this other ancient herb, used in brewing.

Around the corner, Shakespeare’s statue sits among the pollinator-friendly plants of the garden of St Mary Aldermanbury. The bust is a reminder of the great gift of friendship and philanthropy carried out by his fellow actors John Hemming and Henry Condell, residents of this parish, who had the foresight to gather together Shakespeare’s work, after his death, into the First Folio. The City’s Guildhall Library owns a rare copy.

To bay or not to bay

A few metres to the north is a tiny physic, or medicine, garden nestled within the remains of a Medieval bastion, next to the Hall of The Barbers’ Company. The garden’s inspiration was a botanical book written in 1597 by plantsman, gardener and barber-surgeon John Gerard. Gerard had travelled extensively as a ship’s surgeon, gathering knowledge and seeds on his way. His famous ‘Herball’ became renowned for its numerous illustrations, lively style and anecdotes drawn from folklore.

The Barber-Surgeons’ physic garden. Copyright Sarah Williams-Robbins

Gerard went on to be appointed ‘Herbarist’ to King James I and also Master of the Barber-Surgeons. He made the case for creating a physic garden here in the City during his lifetime, but sadly this wasn’t realised until the 1980s. Today it flourishes with all manner of medicinal plants.

It contains many we still recognise, including a healthy bay tree. Bay (Lauris Nobilis), was used to relieve catarrh, to help heal bruises, and was even thought to cure hangovers: “It is reported that common drunkards were accustomed to eat in the morning fasting two leaves thereof against drunkenness.”*

Handkerchieves and memories

Around the corner, Postman’s Park sits in a former burial ground, surrounded by the walls of Post Office buildings. The micro-climate in this peaceful haven nurtures an array of exotic species, including bananas, tree ferns, and the Handkerchief Tree. The seed was brought back from its native China by intrepid plant hunter Ernest Wilson, in an Indiana Jones-style escapade.

Postman’s Park. Copyright Sarah Williams-Robbins

Each spring, it produces cream-coloured bracts, which wave in the breeze and resemble handkerchieves. The garden is also home to the Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice, established by Victorian artist, GF Watts. A more recent addition is the sundial memorial to the NHS staff at nearby Barts Hospital who gave their own lives during the Covid pandemic. A fitting, tranquil, setting for such a moving tribute.

Fred Cleary plaque. Copyright Sarah Williams-Robbins

On the grapevine

Post war people-power saved Cleary Garden for the enjoyment of city workers. Situated on Huggin Hill, in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, this area was reduced to rubble after the devastating bombing of World War Two. Archeologists discovered it had been the site of Roman baths, and local office worker Joseph Brandis started bringing seedlings from his north London home to plant into the crevices. It was eventually saved from developers by chairman of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, Fred Cleary – ‘Flowering Fred’ – and named Cleary Garden in his honour. Visit in May to enjoy the stunning wisteria-covered pergola, tree peonies, as well as the grapevine – a nod to its Roman origins. You might also spot a rare black redstart, one of only 100 breeding pairs of this robin-shaped bird.

*Gerard’s Herball Volume 5. Chapter 8.

 

About the Author

Sarah Williams-Robbins is accredited City of London guide Mrs Londoner. She is also a keen gardener and wellbeing champion. Book Sarah for a tour of London’s Secret City Gardens this spring. Follow her adventures on Insta @meetmrslondoner and meet Sarah here