Our fascination with the gardens of yesteryear, particularly those that have vanished or have changed beyond recognition, is often fuelled by our interest in reconstructing worlds that offer a powerful means of making sense of the past and a way of reading history.

In this talk on Lost Gardens of London, his new book and exhibition at the Garden Museum, renowned landscape designer and garden historian Todd Longstaffe‑Gowan celebrates the evanescence of London’s vast and varied garden legacy. He explores gardens dating from the sixteenth to the twenty‑first century. They range from gardens behind terraced houses and the capital’s humble allotments to defunct squares, amateur botanical gardens and aviaries, princely pleasure grounds, the gardens of royal palaces, artists’ gardens and private menageries – verdant sites that either no longer exist or are unrecognisable today.

 The exhibition Lost Gardens of London is at the Garden Museum, London, from 23 October 2024 to 2 March 2025.

Lost Gardens of London by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan is published by Yale University Press London. Talk ticket holders will receive a code for 20% off the £25 retail price of the book via their website here. UK orders only. Free UK P&P.

Proceeds from ARTscapades ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.