The College Garden at Westminster Abbey
by Mary Ann Perry
In April of this year, during my visit to London, I had the extraordinary
opportunity exploring The College Garden at Westminster Abbey. Westminster
Abbey itself is rather spectacular; founded in 1065 by Saint Edward the
Confessor. I could not spend time under its roof without feeling the dignity
and awe of past kings, queens, knights, ladies, statesmen, and poets who are
not only buried there, but also honored by exquisite monuments to their
memory. Following the path of millions through this maze of tombs, I
realized that each step is placed on tombs of those found worthy of
everlasting resting places among their famous and historical companions in
the hereafter.
After overwhelming awe, I escaped to the cool, restful monastery; open
colonnades that surround the ancient cloister where Benedictine monks once
sought holiness through work in a spirit of prayer. A glance down the
lengthily colonnade and you can almost see the fleeting ghost of a robed and
hooded monk, head bowed in prayer. Sit on a stone bench; God knows how old
the bench itself is, and you can almost hear chanting from within carried on
the soft breeze.
At the end of the colonnade, duck into the darkened hallway with sunlight
bright at the end. What have we here? Oh my, a little gated, cloister garden
surrounded by rosemary for remembrance and lavender for devotion with a
delightful fountain of water sparkling in the sun. How the monks must have
loved this little hide-away.
Finally, slip through the hidden alcove and you are in The College Garden
with its expansive grassy carpet, surrounded by elements of the Abbey. What
a delightful surprise, this garden has been open to the public for only a
short period during its 900 years existence. It started out as the Abbey's
infirmary garden in the eleventh century. Herbs such as fennel (worthy of
all praise) and hyssop (cleanliness and sacrifice), vegetables and fruit
were grown here for the monks' use and supporting the infirmary.
A herbarium
was completed on this site in 1306 and is currently the location of a small
knot garden; its spaces filled with various shades of lavender. The garden's
name, I presume, came from the 18th Century Westminster School whose
dormitory still stands at one end of the garden.
A corner of the garden is wild with deep blue iris (compliments) in contrast
with the order of the knot garden but a few yards away. Five tall, dignified
Plane trees, Platamus x bispanicus, planted in 1850, are the oldest living
plants in the garden. Off of private doorways are small areas paved with
brick and cobble; some with low walls, decorated with urns and pots filled
with colorful, trailing herbs. Some of the urns must be from medieval times.
Gone are the ponds that must have been beautiful in this tranquil setting
and used for cultivation of water plants such as edible lilies (majesty and
splendor).
The garden has been and continues to be a medicinal herb garden, probably
because of its origins supporting the infirmary and a desire to maintain its
historical significance. Many of the old herbs are grown in the garden
today. However, because of the high lead content of the soil, they are
useless for consumption or medicinal purposes. In the spirit of maintaining
the garden for the Monastic Infirmary's desire to promote health and
welfare for the people of London, the garden is mainly used for charity
fund-raising events.
If you are interested in more information regarding
this beautiful hidden garden, check out the web-site at:
www.westminster-abbey.org or go there.
Mary Ann Perry is the proprietress of Sayit-n-Herbs, an herbal gift shop on the
Internet, http://www.sayit-n-herbs.comhttp://www.sayit-n-herbs.com and can be reached at mperry@edm.net
