Roof Gardens – A Unique Concept in the Heart of London

Like an oasis in a desert, the Kensington Roof Gardens is a tranquil piece of Mother Nature located atop a department store building, 100 ft above a street located in a posh and sophisticated area that is throbbing with the hubbub of city life. Quite apart from Kensington Gardens, this roof garden is somewhat similar to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. This fantastic garden planted in the 1930s and located above a store building in the busy shopping area of Kensington, comprises of a Tudor Garden, a Spanish Garden, and English woodland garden where you can find many flamingos as well.

Formerly known as the Derry and Toms Roof Gardens and Kensington Road Gardens, the Roof Gardens covers 1.5 acres of space on top of a building on Kensington High Street which is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It has the distinction of being the largest roof garden in Europe but in 2012, it was surpassed by the shopping mall Emporia’s roof garden. A special feature of the roof gardens is that it is not visible from the street below but can only be identified by the Virgin flags flying from the top of the building. It is often let out for private events but apart from that, it is open to the public. Access to the building is through a doorway marked “99 Kensington High Street” from Derry Street. The nearest Underground station is High Street Kensington tube station. The Roof Gardens consists of three themed gardens that are home to more than 70 full size trees and a floating stream where plenty of fish and flamingos can be found. The resident flamingos are Bill, Ben, Splosh and Pecks.

Themed Gardens: Spanish Garden
This themed garden is designed basically on the pattern of Alhambra which is a Moorish fortress complex in Spain. The main feature of this garden is that it offers vine-covered walkways and fountains that are all positioned around a curved sun pavilion that was designed by Bernard George.

Tudor Garden
The main features of this garden are that it has archways and secret corners and is a smaller garden that is walled formally. It also features a plethora of lavender, roses and lilies due to which it has earned the reputation of being a scented garden. It also offers spectacular panoramic views over west London through windows located in the walled edge.

English Woodland Garden
Overlooking the High Street to the south, this meandering garden is home to a large variety of trees, many of which have Tree Protection Orders for protecting and preserving the garden. The area also has a stream and a garden pond and as a result many pintail ducks and flamingos make it their home.  

Hotels near Earls Court tube station are the most convenient places to stay if you wish to visit the Kensington Roof Gardens. While visiting the gardens, you can have a hearty meal at Babylon restaurant that overlooks the gardens and offers contemporary British cuisine.

In the garden premises you can find a two storey Clubhouse and a private members club having a capacity of 600 guests. The Clubhouse is used for holding private events such as parties or conferences. The club remains open on Friday and Saturday nights. These venues are located 30 metres above street level on the sixth floor of the building and they offer superb views of west London through the windows in the walled edge. The Babylon Restaurant was built in 2001 on the 7th floor of the Roof Gardens and is now a part of the property. It offers lunch Monday to Sunday whereas dinner is available Monday to Saturday. Superb views of the English Woodland Garden are available from the terrace whereas the private dining room offers fine views of the flamingo pond.  The restaurant is an ideal place to get fantastic views west from Richmond Deer Park all through across South London up to City Point in the east.

History of the Roof Gardens
During the 1930s, the site was owned by Barkers, a Kensington department store and its vice-President Trevor Bowen commissioned Ralph Hancock, a leading landscape gardener, to make the gardens and the building was built in 1932. The gardens were however laid out between 1936 and 1938 and the cost of the project was £25,000.
 
Derry and Toms ran the department store until 1973 and it was the infamous Biba store until 1975. Some people still refer to the gardens as ‘Derry and Toms Gardens’. The gardens got the Grade II listed site status by English Heritage in 1978. Till Virgin took over the gardens in 1981, they were quite abandoned but they are now being used for private luxury entertaining and except on the days that they are pre-booked for a private party, they are open to the public.