Garden Museum

The Garden Museum was a letdown. The nave itself is pleasant and free to walk through, which is probably the highlight. But paying to see a handful of gardening tools and photo displays felt overpriced and underwhelming. We grabbed a takeaway coffee, and the service matched the vibe—indifferent. The waitress barely looked up and just pointed, saying “stand over there.” Not exactly welcoming. The biggest disappointment, though, was the gardens. For a place with “garden” in its name, you’d expect something well-kept or at least interesting. Instead, they looked neglected—I’d be surprised if there’s a groundskeeper at all. All in all, it’s a pass unless you’re just ducking in for a quiet moment in the nave.

What a beautiful and intriguing space! Beautiful use of a Church to maintain so many of its original features whilst converting use to educate and illustrate a history of gardening in UK. Quirky range of items to see. Also learnt Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame) was buried here. There is a great café/restaurant attached (pays to reserve a table) with delicious meals..probably better suited to adults

A lovely museum with lots of history and stuff to see. Unfortunately I can only give it 2 stars because they don't let you eat at there cafe unless you have a reservation and I would like to think if you pay to visit there museum you should have a right to get somethink to eat and a coffee. Also you pass is only for the day and not a year like some of the other museums in Central London and the indoor garden is small and very busy because it is a cafe too. I will also put a review on trip advisor.

Housed in St Mary’s Church, Lambeth is a the wonderful Garden Museum and Cafe. Specific exhibitions curated throughout the year. Good facilities for children, craft/drawing table, small ‘home’ play area, high chairs in cafe. The Garden Cafe menu looked great (see photos) and although we didn’t eat, we did sample the biscuits baked on the premises (choc chip and ginger/oat ‘Parkin’ biscuits) which were absolutely delicious! A crisp bite on the outside, soft but not too gooey or sweet inside. We will definitely return for lunch next time we visit for a further exhibition. Facilities were spotless and a small shop sells books, cards and small gardening tools, twine etc. Well worth the climb of 131 steps to a viewing platform with fantastic views over London (see photos) is an added bonus. The steps are uneven, tightly packed and circular with barely any passing space and no resting places, therefore may not be suitable or comfortable for some. Allow a morning or afternoon to do it justice.

Lovely museum with a beautiful courtyard. Visited with my son and baby and had a great time. We didn’t get to try the restaurant/ cafe as it was a 45 minute wait for a table. A bigger cafe is needed!

Small but well kept museum. Shame that the only garden space is shared with the cafe. Disappointingly the exhibitions didn't really discuss garden/landscape design at all. Also the observation tower was closed.

Compared to my first visit soon after it opened the gallery spaces are much better and lottery money has been invested in buying some lovely paintings of gardens which I hope they continue to do. The Dan Pearson courtyard garden is now fully matured and looking very lush. It’s a very toddler friendly space too. The curation of the temporary exhibitions is superb as was my lunch in the cafe. My only gripe is that I still feel it’s an expensive experience.

We pre-booked our tickets a day in advance. The museum was nice, but not particularly special. I visited with a friend, and I enjoyed it a bit more than she did. However, she had her child with her, and it’s a very kid-friendly place, with areas for children to draw and play. The staff was very friendly, and the toilets were surprisingly nice! Overall, it was a pleasant visit. If you have some extra time, it’s worth checking out.

Small museum dedicated to gardening in London. The museum is housed inside an old church, so it is worth visiting just for the architecture alone. The actual exhibit about gardening, while interesting, is quite small. In the price of admission, you get access to climb their medieval tower to see views of London from above. The staircase is very, very narrow with low ceilings. I was too claustrophobic to make it up, although they do have a video of someone climbing the stairs and showing the view, so you can see what it's like. I got a student ticket which cost me £5 and that's really as much as I'd be willing to pay to come in. It's a nice place to kill about an hour, but unless you are really into gardening, this might not be the place for you.

I was walking in the area and noticed a beautiful church with signage stating it was a Garden Museum. I was instantly intrigued and had to check it out. I quickly learned that the museum was set up to save an abandoned church and garden where famous British gardener John Tradescant was buried. Incredible! My husband is the plant expert, he says plants die if I stare at them wrong. But, I still found the museum fascinating. There is a unique mix of history, art, and horticulture science. It truly celebrates the love that Britians have for there elaborate gardens. I also love how they have renovated the church space, and integrated the museum into the church vs. taking it over. It is in perfect harmony. Which I found architecturally intriguing. I wish we could do this with more spaces, vs. just tearing everything down to make way for the new. There really is something here for everyone. Be sure to check out the medieval tower! I was able to climb the 131 steps and was rewarded with an incredible view all to myself! The church garden and cemetery are still intact in a beautiful courtyard. As you walk out of the museum you can enjoy walking around the courtyard to the cafe. Don't miss the chance to enjoy a bite to eat in the cafe. It is incredible and one of the best meals I have had in London.

Went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends A chance to share old memories and play our songs again When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name No one recognized me, I didn't look the same But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself People came from miles around, everyone was there Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air And over in the corner, much to my surprise Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself

I'm a Landscape Designer from the United States. Finding this museum was much like finding the Holy Grail to me. When I first came here, it was the dead of Winter, so I didn't get to explore the garden. However, given that the garden is in an old Church Yard, and there are crypts scattered about; it was an awesome, albeit gloomy, sight. There were some delightfully daft exhibits up the next time I came. For instance, an exhibit of garden gnomes; one of which looked disturbingly like Tony Blair. I'm not joking, look at my posted pictures! The gift shop is also amazing.

Lovely hidden pearl of a museum. If you're not that into gardening and the craft and art of it, you'll probably leave appreciating it a lot more.

I came here for the tomb of Captain Bligh (which I stumbled upon online) but stayed for the gardening exhibit upstairs. As a lover of both history and gardening, I found the museum a pleasurable diversion on a Saturday afternoon.

This might be the kind of place you wouldn't necessarily tell your colleagues on a Monday morning that you'd visited at the weekend. For a hip, young 20-something to declare she's been to a Museum of Garden History requires courage. Well, I did go to the museum. And it's nice. I don't particularly like gardening, but it was interesting to see how this very English pastime has developed over the years, and to learn about the botanical history of so many plants that we see regularly around us, but never think that they are not native British plants. Go on, have the courage to be obscure, and go! Green is the new black!

This is a vegetarian cafe, and there aren't enough of those. It's not gourmet , but it's darned good honest veggie fare. Run by Skye Bond (what a redolent name) you get a choice from four hot dishes plus an assortment of salads - cous cous, lentil and chickpea when we went. The hot dishes we had were Chargrilled courgette & aubergine with tomato & basil; and Moroccan fruit tagine. Both were filling and very tasty, and clearly put together by someone who knows what they are doing in the kitchen. Three of the four mains were gluten free. The restaurant was very busy on the midweek lunchtime when we went, with a queue. It had a rather amateur air - like eating at a WRVS canteen in a break from digging for victory. The venue is very different - you can either eat in the deconsecrated church, with tables in the nave, or in the pretty garden. This must be one of the most picturesque dining options in central London. They also do a wide range of cakes, and proper tea and coffee. They do take away too.

I went today as it was the first open day since the revamp. The Museum started as the Tradescant Trust, after the graves of these famous plant hunters were found in the old churchyard, of th old church that now houses the museum. The old gardening exhibits are found on the first floor, and while well presented , there seemed to be relatively few exhibits, and little new to excite. There's a new Gallery on the groundfloor which at present has a retrospective of Beth Chatto the well known 20th century gardener and Nureserywoman, but again there was a paucity of exhibits. In the past I've had some super veggie food at very reasonable prices, but didn't have time to eat today. A large part of the groundfloor was clear for some sort of reception, so perhaps there's more to see normally. I thought the £6 entrance wasn't great value, but I suppose if you had lunch as well it would make more of a trip.

It's a small museum and the garden was nice but not spectacular. Liked their gift shop and got some unusual seeds.

We went for the herb festival the other weekend and thought it was a wonderful place. It is in a converted church - the churchyard outside has been turned into a small garden planted with old traditional varieties which are written about in a garden guide book left for visitors to read. Inside, there is a small exhibition of gardening tools and history, and temporary exhibitions - while we were there it was some amazing botanical photography. The entry price is quite steep at £6 but it is a charitable trust and relies on donations to keep going. There is a good cafe inside and a shop which has a very good selection of horticultural books. A great find and somewhere you can spend a quiet afternoon happily wrapped up in all things garden.