"Physicke Garden," Chelsea, View of Garden, by Jessie Macgregor (1847-1919). c.1918. Watercolour drawing. Source: Macgregor, frontispiece.
Macgregor explains that the garden is no longer in the care of the Society of Apothecaries, which had established it in 1676, but still has
something of its unique character among the gardens of the metropolis.... The flower beds are extended oblongs, and are all parallel with the river [the Thames, which flowed right past before the embankment], each one being separated from its neighbour by a rather wide turf walk, as shown in the illustration. This arrangement, if formal, is effective; but it was probably made entirely for convenience in the days when the Demonstrator, surrounded by a troop of students, moved from plot to plot, pausing at each to discourse and explain. Here are to be seen, among many beautiful growing things such as are found in most gardens that boast herbaceous borders, a few unfamiliar, even uncanny-looking plants, survivals of the fittest perhaps among the medicinal herbs of former days; and the eye is quick to note that this sunny, cultivated corner — measuring, I believe, about four acres — is not altogether a normal garden.... There are few flowers to speak of — by which I mean that here nothing blossoms con- spicuously, nothing makes a floral show. There are no gay parterres, or gaudy ribbon borders; one feels instinctively that the plants are grown less for their blooms than for their uses, and that they themselves are intrinsically interesting to the students, whether they blossom and look beautiful, or not. But in spite of the lack of gorgeous colouring, perhaps in consequence of the absence of luxuriant foliage, the garden is essentially sunshiny; it is always full of the cheerful daylight : one receives on entering, and one carries away, an impression of sunlight even on a cloudy day. It is a charming oasis in the midst of much brick and mortar.... [135-36]
Notice towards the right, in the middle of the watercolour, the statue of Sir Hans Sloane, who presented the grounds to the Society of Apothecaries in 1722 for small anual rent and on some conditions (see p. 124).
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Bibliography
MacGregor, Jessie. Gardens of Celebrities and celebrated gardens in and around London. London: Hutchinson, 1918. Internet Archive. Contributed by the University of British Columbia Library. Web. 20 March 2022.
Created 20 March 2022