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Outside the entrance to the Charterhouse -
With the Masters Communicator, Water Conservator and Cold & Silver Wyre Drawers -
The Charterhouse -
The Lady Mayor
Flowers and Fizz: Gardeners' Company Garden Party
22nd June 2026The Charterhouse
The sun smiled more than kindly on the Worshipful Company of Gardeners' first Garden Party yesterday, held in the magnificent surroundings of The Charterhouse gardens.
I arrived early to a warm welcome from the Master Gardener, Alderman Robert Howard, Upper Warden David Balfour and Spadebearer Jonathan Matheson, and took the opportunity before the crowds arrived to walk around the beautiful gardens, where it was astonishing to realise that the only sounds to be heard were blackbirds and the rustle of the welcome breeze through the mulberry trees, despite our proximity to all the noise and rush of the City.
Among those joining the celebrations were the Lady Mayor and Consort, the Sheriffs, numerous Livery Masters, Company members and friends, all enjoying an evening in one of London's most beautiful and historic settings.
Guests were welcomed with sparkling wine from Capel Manor College's estate in Enfield, North London, which hosts the acclaimed Forty Hall Vineyard, producing London's only commercial-scale homegrown sparkling wine using the traditional method — affectionately described by the Master Gardener as "London Champagne". Adding an extra flourish, staff and students from the College were demonstrating their skill and creativity by hand-making exquisite floral corsages for the lucky guests who got there early, like me. Before long, lapels, jackets and summer dresses throughout the gardens were blooming with colourful and delicate creations.
The party was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Gardeners' close connections with horticulture, education and the wider City community and to bring to an end the current Master Gardener's year. A welcome from the Master of the Charterhouse, Peter Aiers OBE, as well as from the Master Gardener, and a thank you reply from the Lady Mayor all combined with the elegant gardens, summer sunshine, sparkling wine and beautiful flowers to create a memorable evening and a reminder of the joy that gardens and nature bring to us all.