Monkwell Square, Barbican, London EC2Y 5BL
Barber-Surgeons’ Gardens
Garden
Source image
6.2
Wildland
Under 1 hour
Time
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Cost
Peaceful
Feel
Why it's Wildland
6.2A small physic garden beside London Wall, where medicinal herbs connect the Barber-Surgeons’ history with an older story of gardens, city walls and a bomb-damaged site.
This is not a wild countryside escape but a distinctive pocket of green history in the Barbican: a physic garden devoted to medicinal plants, set beside the remains of London’s historic wall landscape. Its appeal is the meeting of horticulture and the City’s layered past.
Peaceful · Historic
Find your way
Open mapMonkwell Square, Barbican, London EC2Y 5BL
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Know this place a little better?
The experience
Visit for a short, focused look at a medicinal herb garden in the Barbican. Read the plants as part of the site’s Barber-Surgeons’ story, then take in its setting between London Wall and the Barbican Lakes.
Things to do
Explore the medicinal herb planting
The City of London says the garden contains more than 40 herb species grown to treat wounds, bruises and burns. Look for the plants and consider their intended medicinal uses.
Allow time for a short garden visit; exact duration is not verified.
Place the garden in its London Wall setting
The London Parks & Gardens Trust describes the physic garden as set within the remains of bastion 13 in London Wall. The garden is also located between London Wall and the Barbican Lakes.
Make a day of it
Quick escape · Under 1 hour
A short visit to the physic garden
- 01
Check current visitor access before setting out.
- 02
Explore the herb garden and look for plants associated with the history of medicine and surgery.
- 03
Notice the garden’s setting between London Wall and the Barbican Lakes.
Verified history
The London Parks & Gardens Trust traces the garden’s idea to John Gerard, a Barber-Surgeons’ Company freeman and author of The Herball, published in 1597. Gerard urged the Company to establish a medicinal plant garden, but that early proposal did not come to fruition. The present physic garden followed the destruction of the Blitz: the Trust describes it as laid out on a derelict wartime bomb site within the remains of bastion 13. The City of London says the garden was created by the Worshipful Company of Barbers to show how plants have been used in medicine and surgery; it now contains more than 40 herb species associated with treating wounds, bruises and burns.
Hidden details
A garden shaped by a lost proposal — John Gerard proposed a medicinal garden for the Barber-Surgeons’ Company in Elizabethan times, but the scheme was not realised then. The London Parks & Gardens Trust connects the later revival of the idea with the destruction of the Blitz.
Bastion 13 in the garden’s setting — The London Parks & Gardens Trust identifies the garden’s setting with the remains of bastion 13 in London Wall. Do not assume that all remains are accessible within the garden.
When to go
· Not verified; check access information before visiting.
The supplied sources do not identify a best season or seasonal highlights.
No site-specific weather or ground-condition guidance verified.
What to look for
- 01
Look for the medicinal herbs and consider how the garden’s planting interprets the historical use of plants in medicine and surgery. The London Parks & Gardens Trust also describes the garden as nestling within the remains of bastion 13 in London Wall
- 02
check what is visible from the garden itself.
The story
Science, Industry
Best time to go
No season-specific advice verified; check before visiting.
No best time of day is verified. Check current access information before setting out.
How long to spend
Under 1 hour
Perfect for
Solo · Couples · History lovers · Walkers
Before you go
Address
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Website
Listed hours
- Monday: Open 24 hours
- Tuesday: Open 24 hours
- Wednesday: Open 24 hours
- Thursday: Open 24 hours
- Friday: Open 24 hours
- Saturday: Open 24 hours
- Sunday: Open 24 hours
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Google rating
Practical information
Opening & access
The City of London lists the garden as a visitor destination, and the London Parks & Gardens Trust describes it as one of the City livery gardens open to the public. Check before visiting for current access and opening information.
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Parking
Parking arrangements are not verified. Check before visiting; the supplied accessibility data does not confirm visitor parking availability.
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Toilets
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Food & drink
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Dogs
The supplied listing data indicates dogs are allowed; check current garden rules before visiting.
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Accessibility
The supplied listing data says wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park are unavailable. Verify current access conditions before travelling.
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Cost
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Gallery
Place photographsKeep exploring
Around Barber-Surgeons’ Gardens
Within 50 km · approximate straight-line distances
