When: July 2015 Weather: Cool 18C,bright and sunny(!)
Leica M240. 90mmF2 APO-Summicron
One of the things I love most about London is that there are so many unexplored nooks and crannies, parks and gardens that I’ve never seen before. This time, I had a free morning in London and I’d read in Timeout that there was a charming little garden called Mount Street Garden which sounded like my cup of tea. Setting off at 7am when the streets were quiet, I set off from my hotel near to All Soul’s Church at Langham Place armed with my M240 and (as is my wont) only one lens, my seldom used 90mm F2 APO M Summicron.
The John Nash designed All Soul’s Church
West along Oxford Street and south along Duke Street, you arrive at a quaint little corner outside the Connaught Hotel which is Carlos Place. There are a couple of trees sitting in the middle of a man made pond and if you hang around long enough, it starts spewing smoke which makes for interesting pictures if nothing else..
Trees in pond
Spewing smoke
There is a fascinating sculpture just outside the garden…
The entrance sign board at one end of Mount Street itself with a delightfully informative write up on the trees and flowers of the garden
on entering the garden, you immediately see this charming patch of summer flowers…
with a big piece of driftwood within
then as you meander down the path which has slightly incongruous palm trees…(apparently this little corner of London is so surrounded by buildings that it is a bit warmer than more open parks and so a number of tropical plants thrive here)
we can see the pigeons starting their day with a wash..
and another spectacularly orange flower bed comes into view
the bright morning sun made even the most ordinary green leaves glow
there were lots of park benches to sit on and soak in the restful serenity of this magical little garden…many benches were donated in memory of the many peoples from all over the world who had frequented and loved this garden…
A hundred meters or so inside the garden, there is a side entrance from Mount Road
It’s right where this ancient park bench is..
If you nip out of the park here, you will see a little cafe called the Mount Street Deli…with its impossibly quaint delivery fan parked outside….do yourself a favour and get a sausage roll and coffee to have on the sidewalk or inside the park…
Resuming our walk inside the garden..there are several sculptures…
?Japanese maple
And this giraffe popped up from nowhere
A bed of flowers in B&W
And in colour…
Finally leaving the garden at the South Audley Street exit
Round the corner, a collection of road street signs of Mount Street through the ages
the flower beds in Mayfair are something to behold
Round the corner is the rather more well known Berkeley Square…as in the song’The nightingale sang in Berkeley Square…
Not as interesting as Mount Street Garden, but still a charming square…
And a perfect end to the morning would be to work yourself back up to Selfridge on Oxford Street for a sandwich at the Brass Rail.
So for those who like free walks, gardens, birds, fresh air and sunshine, the Mount Street Garden in Mayfair is a perfect way to spend an hour or two…highly recommended
These are amazing, Uncle Ron!
thanks! but who are u?