Chelsea Physic Gardens

The Chelsea Physic Garden, known initially as the Apothecaries' Garden, was founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in London, England. Spanning four acres, this historic botanical garden, dedicated to the science of healing, stands among the oldest in Britain, second only to the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Its renowned rock garden, the oldest in Europe dedicated to alpine and Mediterranean plants, boasts Britain's largest fruiting olive tree, sheltered by heat-retaining brick walls, and likely the world's northernmost grapefruit growing outdoors.

Guarded meticulously during the Apothecaries' tenure, the garden transitioned into a registered charity in 1983, finally opening its gates to the public. It is a distinguished member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine. It holds a Grade I listing in the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest by English Heritage.

The Apothecaries established their garden on the leased grounds of Sir John Danvers' well-established Chelsea garden, adjacent to Sir Thomas More's former residence. Danvers House was demolished in 1696 to make way for Danvers Street. In 1713, Sir Hans Sloane acquired the neighbouring Manor of Chelsea and, in 1722, leased it to the Society of Apothecaries for £5 annually in perpetuity. His deed required the garden to supply the Royal Society with 50 herbarium samples annually, up to 2,000 plants.

Under the stewardship of Philip Miller (1722–1770), the Chelsea Physic Garden flourished, becoming the world's most richly stocked botanical garden. Its seed exchange program, initiated by Dutch botanist Paul Hermann's visit in 1682, continues to this day. The program's significant contributions include introducing cotton to Georgia and disseminating the Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) globally.

In 1730, Isaac Rand, a Royal Society member, published a catalog of the garden, “Index plantarum officinalium, quas ad materiae medicae scientiam promovendam, in horto Chelseiano”. Elizabeth Blackwell's *A Curious Herbal* (1737–1739) featured illustrations of specimens from the garden. In 1781, the Royal Society's collection of specimens was transferred to the British Museum in Bloomsbury, later moving to the Natural History Museum in Kensington in 1881.

From 1780 to 1814, Sir Joseph Banks collaborated with head gardener and curator John Fairbairn, who excelled in cultivating plants from around the world. The garden lost parts to road development, including the riverbank during the 1874 construction of the Chelsea Embankment and a strip for widening Royal Hospital Road. Today, the garden remains a 3.5-acre oasis in central London.

Management of the garden shifted to the Trustees of the London Parochial Charities in 1899. Throughout the twentieth century, it served primarily for scientific research and remained closed to the public. In 1983, it became a charity managed by a private board of trustees, opening to the public in 1987.

As a schoolboy, the popular myth was that this was one of the only places “licenced” to grow Cannabis.