Peace and quiet in the heart of London’s financial hub? It’s not impossible, particularly if you make a beeline for Crossrail Place. There, away from the hordes of stressed-out workers, you find the oasis of calm known as Crossrail Place Roof Garden – a rooftop garden with its own street food market. [Featured Image: @nabiawada]

It’s a beautiful little spot, where funky geometric windows offer great views back over Canary Wharf. To be honest, it was expected given that the architects responsible also count the Gherkin, City Hall, and the British Museum’s swanky roof amongst their creations. The plants are just as pretty, too, encompassing trees, shrubs, and flowers from all over the world.

Crossrail Place Roof Garden is divided into hemispheres, with east and west represented on different sides of the park. Australasian ferns and American sweetgums give way to Chinese bamboo and Japanese maples, meaning you can literally (sort of) walk across the globe. Perfect for a sunny lunchtime stroll!

Although having said that, it does look rather nice when the sun goes down.

The garden also features a sixty-seat performance space, which can be hired should you fancy giving your one-man show a run out. In summer, the owners put on a programme of music and drama, turning Crossrail Place Roof Garden into London’s leafiest theatre. It would also be a nice spot for your lunchtime Pret, but this rooftop has a final ace up its sleeve, one that makes Pret irrelevant (gasp!).

Anyway, at Crossrail Place Roof Garden, it’s a case of “come for the precisely organised horticulture, stay for the bevs”.

Also published on Medium.