RHS Royal Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace The most English of flower shows and the Arcadian Thames in association with the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society Flower Shows at Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace connect you to horticultural excellence. Photo: ©Royal Horticultural Society
Overview The Royal Horticultural Society, (The RHS), was established in 1804 and is the world’s leading horticultural charity. Our vision is to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. The RHS has a worldwide reputation for providing horticultural excellence and inspiration through their shows and gardens. This tour runs in May to coincide with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and July for the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
The RHS library collection will form a key part of the tour experience, currently not available to the general public or any other tour company. Furthermore, RHS experts will enhance the tour both prior to visiting the flower show and during the visit.
UK Countryside Tours Royal Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace RHS Flower Show Tours www.ukcountrysidetours.com TEL: (604) 899-9249 or Toll Free 1 855 900-9249 pg. 1 Apart from one or other of the Flower Shows depending on the time of year, other gardens visited during this tour include Hampton Court Palace accessed by boat along the River Thames, Chelsea Physic Garden, the Royal Chelsea Hospital and the Garden Museum.
Highlights Discover the horticultural heritage and legacy of London districts Chelsea and Hampton from Henry VIII to the modern day RHS Flower Shows.
Visit the RHS library in their headquarters on Vincent Square for a talk from RHS Head of Libraries, Fiona Davidson outlining the lives of famous plant collectors, nurseries and gardens. View a selection of extremely rare books, catalogues and botanical art.
Enjoy expert guidance on how the flower shows are judged, what to look out for and how to ensure you get the most out of your visit to the show.
Gain entry into the Flower Show and see the displays before public opening.
Discover why London is one of the greenest cities in the world, with parks, gardens, its own special microclimate and global connections. Visit specialist gardens and nurseries growing and marketing plants from around the world.
Enjoy an exclusive, insider guide to the gardens, plantsmen, designers and landscapes who have shaped London in collaboration with our RHS experts and Tour Director.
Tour Director Caroline Holmes: a garden historian, international lecturer, author of 11 books who designs and devises landscape themes including a Humanist Renaissance journey around Notre Dame-de-Calais and the planting in The Poison Garden at The Alnwick Garden. She is recipient from the Herb Society of America of both The Elizabeth Crisp Rea Award and The Gertrude B. Foster Award for Excellence in Herbal Literature. One of the BBC Radio 4 programmes she presented received the Garden Media Guild ‘Radio Broadcast of the Year Award’. Caroline is also Course Director for the University of Cambridge’s International Summer Programme creating and leading modules studying English houses and gardens. She is much in demand on the lecture circuit for NADFAS, the RHS, museums and a huge range of private societies.
UK Countryside Tours Royal Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace RHS Flower Show Tours www.ukcountrysidetours.com TEL: (604) 899-9249 or Toll Free 1 855 900-9249 pg. 2 Outline Itinerary:
Day 1 Arrive London Heathrow and transfer to our London hotel. Dependent on flight times, enjoy an optional guided walk in St James Park to explore the history of the Royal Parks and look at the planting. Overnight London hotel
Day 2 Morning Visit the RHS library at their headquarters on Vincent Square for a talk from RHS Head of Libraries, Fiona Davidson outlining the Veitch family of renowned plantsmen, the history of the Kings Road nursery gardens, the history of the Chelsea Physic Garden and the history of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. A selection of extremely rare books, catalogues and botanical art will be available to view. Enjoy an introduction to the RHS flower shows and an expert explanation of the judging criteria and process, highlights of the show and unusual things to look out for. Afternoon Visit the Chelsea Physic Garden for lunch and a tour to discover the collection and long history of this iconic garden. Overnight London hotel
Day 3 Enjoy an exclusive early morning tour of RHS Chelsea Flower Show including breakfast in the showground. Afterwards, there will be time to explore individually. Lunch can be booked in the fine dining restaurant. (If the tour is taking place in early July, RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be replaced by RHS Hampton Court Flower Show). Overnight London hotel
Day 4 Visit to Hampton Court Palace to see both the gardens and interiors. Famously associated with Henry VIII, the royal history continued into the nineteenth century. William and Mary’s Privy Apartments, designed by Christopher Wren, and garden have been meticulously restored as has their Kitchen Garden. Return to London by boat along the Thames. Overnight London hotel
Day 5 Morning We take a guided tour of the Royal Hospital Chelsea garden and interiors. Conceived by Charles II to house his former soldiers and designed by Christopher Wren in ‘Wrenaissance’ style. Afterwards we walk along the Kings Road, former site of many nursery gardens and built to link London to Hampton Court. Afternoon Visit a private garden, not normally open to visitors. Overnight London hotel
Day 6 Morning Visit Lambeth Palace, London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, with extensive gardens including Cardinal Pole’s White Marseilles fig planted in 1556. Lunch Visit at the nearby Garden Museum which opens after extensive refurbishment in 2017 and explore its collections and garden. Afternoon Free time to explore London or stay on in the Museum. Overnight London hotel
Day 7 Transfer to London Heathrow airport and depart
UK Countryside Tours Royal Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace RHS Flower Show Tours www.ukcountrysidetours.com TEL: (604) 899-9249 or Toll Free 1 855 900-9249 pg. 3 Activity level This tour has been assessed as Moderately Active:
Mildly active (meaning getting on and off the coach and walking a short distance on well surfaced paths) Moderately active (meaning walking in the countryside / parkland estate of a country estate – walking moderate distances on unsurfaced paths) Active – walking up hills, or destinations involving lots of steps, uneven surfaces, sturdy shoes
For further information Please enquire for pre- or post-tour extension options. For further information contact UK Countryside Tours [email protected] or TEL: (604) 899-9249 or Toll Free 1 855 900-9249
UK Countryside Tours Royal Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace RHS Flower Show Tours www.ukcountrysidetours.com TEL: 01629 700648 or US Toll Free 1-844-221-3366 pg. 4