Crossrail Place Roof Garden in Canary Wharf
(Picture: Handout)Hiding in plain sight far above our heads, lies a green secret.
Hundreds of acres of new and formerly unused roof space is now in some way green. In 2019 green roof space in the capital was more expansive than Hyde Park, and potentially more biodiverse, too.
Last summer, one of the UK’s rarest orchid species, (Serapias parviflora) was found growing on a roof garden in the City. Undisturbed by humans, we have created a nature reserve in the sky, at quite an astonishing scale.
This green space provides a habitat for winged wildlife. It offers a safe nesting space for birds and provides pollen and nectar for bees. Installing green roofs also helps control water runoff as the soil, plants and leaves catch and filter rainwater, slowing it down and reducing flooding. The soil and plants also help insulate buildings.
Planning policy in the capital now increasingly favours green roofing; there are a number of green vantage points across the city where you can get a sense of how extensive London’s park-in-the-sky is.
Crossrail Place Roof Garden
Several stories above the Canary Wharf’s Elizabeth Line Station lies one of London’s largest roof gardens.
Crossrail Place Roof Garden (seen above) has been in situ for the past seven years and is now quite established in Canary Wharf.
Using similar materials to the biomes at the Eden project, the roof is not totally exposed to the elements, and is full of horticultural delights, including some luscious and unusual fern species, and a bamboo grove.
Open daily from 6am to 9pm; free to visit.
The Barbican
There are two roof gardens to see here. Beech Gardens can be found on the Upper Podium, where the modern planting palette of grases and perennials has been designed so that something is in flower almost every day of the year. The planting breathes a new lease of life into the surrounding Brutalist buildings.
The second spot is ideal for houseplant lovers; The Barbican Conservatory is a genuine concrete jungle. Tradescantia, Philodendron and monstera cascade from balconies reaching sizes you’d only otherwise see in the tropical wild.
Access is free but you need to book barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/event/visit-the-conservatory
120 Fenchurch Street
A modern English garden, 120 Fenchurch Street gives 360-degree views of the city. Blocks of perennial planting are arranged under a metal canopy, up which climbs wisteria and virginia creeper, helping blur the lines between the building and garden.
Free access; thegardenat120.com
