London’s most exclusive and fascinating gardens – some of which are not usually open to the public – will be opened up this month.

Open Garden Squares Weekend on June 18 and 19 will see 211 green spaces in London welcome visitors, from the innovative to the historic, big and small.

Here in south London, there is plenty to explore. Click through the pictures above to see where you can investigate.

Highlights include:

Carshalton House Landscape Garden. The 18th century garden’s grotto, wilderness and baroque water tower remain.

Ham House and Garden. The 17th century house’s restored gardens include a cherry garden, a walled kitchen garden and a hornbeam maze.

Whitgift Shool, Croydon. The formal gardens include topiary, exotic birds and plants, a maze and a rose pergola.

Red House, Bexleyheath. Home to William Morris, the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, Red House was built in 1860 and was once described as ‘the beautifullest place on earth’.

Ballast Quay Garden, Greenwich. Just the spot for quiet relaxation by the river. For the Open Garden Squares weekend, it will be home to a sculpture by Brian Greaves and Kevin Herlihy.

Tickets cost £12 in advance or £14 during the weekend to allow visitors into as many gardens as they like. Alongside the open gardens, there is a programme of tours, walks, talks and cycle rides.

President of the London Parks and Gardens Trust Todd Longstaffe-Gowan said: “Now in its 19th year the weekend is much broader than the ‘Open Garden Squares’ title suggests and offers visitors unrivalled access to some of London’s most exciting floating and rooftop gardens, allotments, transformed brownfield sites, urban wildlife and ecology centres as well as new, experimental gardens.”

Go to opensquares.org

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