London, London! June 2007 Part 2

From the book 'Secret London' by Andrew Duncan, I learned of the Kensington Roof Gardens. Paraphrasing from the book: Conceived by Trevor Bower, head of the Barker's Stores empire, they were begun in the summer of 1936, completed 1938. Ralph Hancock, a leading gardener of the time, did the landscape design. Shoppers used to take a cup of tea before strolling through the gardens. Since 1981, the gardens have belonged to Richard Branson's Virgin group which generously opens them to the public when not in private use. Covering 1.5 acres, divided into three themed areas, with trees up to 40 ft. high, and a stream of 100 feet, with flamingos and ducks, as well as pavilions and a private nightclub.

The old Barker's Department Store building, a Deco treasure, with the most beautiful bas reliefs on the exterior, of birds and fanciful animals and reeds and trees. The gardens are on the roofs.
The Spanish Garden. The arches in the background are the Orangeries.

A view from the nightclub terrace down into the Oriental Garden.

A view of the Spanish Garden showing the superstructure of the nightclub and restaurant.

I spent two hours walking back and forth among the gardens, sneaking over to the portholes in the walls to view the city beyond, and getting permission to go inside the nightclub, a Deco beauty of structural glass and curving stainless steel. The private door into the building which takes you to the elevator to the roof gardens says 'The Hanging Gardens of Babylon', and that they were.

I have a thing about Mallard ducks and photograph them everywhere. There was also a family of Muscovy ducks, but the babies were so fast all I got was a series of little blurs. And two gorgeous flamingos, ignoring me completely.