The Barbican is a famous Arts Center in London, exploring all forms of Art including Music, Dance, Cinema and hosting many art exhibitions throughout the year. But what is still relatively unknown from tourists or even Londoners is that the venue also hosts a tropical conservatory, with free entrance.
Today, DOYOUSPEAKLONDON invits you to explore the Barbican Conservatory, the hidden tropical oasis in London.

A hidden oasis in London

This is quite unexpected to wander in a tropical garden in Central London. I had vaguely heard of the Barbican Conservatory a few years ago but never really planned to go there until recently.
The most surprising fact of the place is the combination of the surrounding concrete buildings with tropical plants…
The temperature was not as hot as we thought it would be inside (as we experienced it in Kew Garden), but some plants really looked like they were in need of water.
Nevertheless, we very much appreciated the walk though the Conservatory as we found a few surprises along the route…

An indoor rainforest

The Barbican Conservatory is the second biggest conservatory in London. There are over 2000 species of tropical plants and trees. But also a few animals.
And a pond with fishes…
The walk through the main part of the Conservatory is interesting as nature, architecture and animal life all mix together well.

The Arid House

This is my favorite part of the Barbican Conservatory: The Arid House, where we can admire colorful flowers like these beautiful  (and sometimes rare) orchids…
A treat for all photographers as these flowers are always very inspiring… This warm room is full of cactus and other exotic plants.
Some of them are quite original…
We stayed there quite a long time as colors, shapes and the warm atmosphere just mesmerized us and we did not want to leave the place!
After a while in this Conservatory you don’t feel you are in London any more…

Conservatory events

This is quite strange, rather unexpected to visit such an oasis in the heart of London. All the more as the visit is completely free!
And you will be happy to know that in addition to the walk through the conservatory, some services are also available for you to make the most of the venue.
Very surprising is the restaurant hidden among the tropical plants, where people were enjoying afternoon teas while we walked around them!

The Barbican Conservatory also organises occasional guided tours. They are led by the current gardeners of the Conservatory and present the history of the tropical garden.
The Barbican Conservatory is open to the public on selected Sundays from 12 noon–5pm. It is the occasion to discover the Barbican Center’s specific architecture.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found inspiration here. If you are planning to explore the Barbican Conservatory soon, please share your experience and opinion on DOYOUSPEAKLONDON’s blog!

To go further:
The Barbican Conservatory website
The Barbican Arts Center website