| Chelsea Physic Garden | |
|---|---|
 Chelsea Physic Garden, London | |
 | |
| Location | Chelsea, London |
| Coordinates | 51°29′6″N 0°9′46″W / 51.48500°N 0.16278°W |
| Area | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
| Created | 1673 |
| Founder | Worshipful Society of Apothecaries |
| Species | 5,000 |
| Website | Official website  |
The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines.[1] This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the science of healing, is among the oldest botanical gardens in Britain, after the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Its rock garden is the oldest in Europe devoted to alpine plants and Mediterranean plants. The garden has high brick walls which trap heat, giving it a warm micro-climate, and it claims the largest fruiting olive tree in Britain and the world's northernmost grapefruit growing outdoors.[2] Jealously guarded during the tenure of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, the garden became a registered charity[3] in 1983 and was opened to the general public for the first time.
The garden is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine.[4] It is also Grade I listed in the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England by English Heritage.[5]
- ^ "History". Chelsea Physic Garden.
- ^ Schwarzbach, Fredric (28 April 2023), Walking London's Circle Line: A Pedestrian Guide to Central London, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 151, ISBN 978-0-7618-7375-4
- ^ "THE CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN COMPANY, registered charity no. 286513". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- ^ "Medical Museums". medicalmuseums.org. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "Chelsea Physic Garden, Kensington and Chelsea - 1000147". Historic England.