Berkshire
Gardens Trust
Reg.Charity No.1201501

We are very pleased to invite you to join us in a privately arranged visit to the RHS Lindley Library in the beautiful Edwardian headquarters of the Royal Horticultural Society.  The Society has had a library for more than 200 years. 

 

The Collections up Close programme invites community and gardening interest groups to explore the treasures of the Lindley Library. Over the course of an hour, a member of the Library team will share a selection of rare books, botanical artwork and objects from their archives and photographic collections. 

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We will have access to the Lower Research Room which is open by advance appointment only, to provide access to their heritage collections, with a particular emphasis on historic parks and gardens.​

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After our visit, we propose to walk or take the bus to Chelsea Physic Garden to spend the afternoon there.  Sitting on the Thames Embankment, and sheltered by high walls, Chelsea Physic Garden is one of the oldest and most respected botanic gardens in Europe. It is the oldest in London, and only surpassed in age, in England, by Oxford Botanic Garden. The Garden has a lovely café. 

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Booking: Tickets are £5 for members and £8 for non-members for Lindley only.  Joint tickets for Lindley and Chelsea Physic Garden are £17 for members and £20 for non-members.  (Members of the Historic Houses Association are free to enter Chelsea Physic Garden).  Bookings will close on 10 September so that we can inform RHS Lindley of numbers. Numbers to the Library are limited to 24 people.

 

Accessibility:

We recommend travelling by train.   The nearest national rail and tube station is Victoria Station.  The 36 bus goes directly from Paddington to Rochester Row, a 4 min walk from Vincent Square.  Kim will send out joining instructions a week before.

 

Bags and personal items are to be stored in the lockers provided. Food and drink is not allowed inside the library.

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Access to the Library:  The tour takes place in the Lower Reading Room of the Library.  The library is not a fully accessible site, meaning that visitors must be able to independently manage stairs. There are no accessible disabled toilets onsite.

 

Please let Kim know at BerksGTmembership@gmail.com if you think you may have access difficulties.