One of London’s most atmospheric secret gardens hides among the concrete jungle of the City.
And once you discover it, you’ll want to go religiously.
St Dunstan in the East is an eerily beautiful garden set in the bombed-out ruins of an old church. It was one of many in the City that were destroyed in the Blitz of 1941, and was never rebuilt. The elegant spire – designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the church’s first brush with destruction during the Great Fire of London – was restored in the 1950s, but the crumbling walls and blasted-out windows were left in place and given over to nature.
Step through the church gates now and you’ll see the ancient bricks dripping with lush climbing plants, gothic windows entwined with creepers and, er, some lovely park benches to eat your lunch on. Magical wilderness or not, it’s still maintained by the City of London so the plant-life stays on the side of ‘verdant utopia’ rather than ‘attack of the triffids’.
St Dunstan is open daily as an often-overlooked oasis and is totally free to visit. It’s tucked just between the Monument to the Great Fire (if you fancy a 350+ step work out and a view of the London skyline before you visit) and the Tower of London, so you can do a pretty decent landmark crawl before crossing Tower Bridge and refuelling at one of Borough Market’s many excellent restaurants.
Feels like a great way to spend a Sunday…
NOTE: St Dunstan in the East is free to visit and open daily (except Christmas, Boxing Day & New Year’s Day).
St Dunstan in the East | St Dunstan’s Hill, London EC3R 5DD
Looking for other things to do in the area? Here’s our guide to The City.
