Nestled away behind the Hospital church of St Bartholomew the Less and next to the Henry VIII Gate is a place of secluded serenity, the Princess Alice Garden.
It was opened in 1962 to provide patients and visitors with some peace and tranquillity away from the hustle and bustle of the Hospital and the City of London, and is maintained by the Guild.
In 2001, it was decided to name the garden in honour of HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, on the occasion of her 100th birthday. HRH Princess Alice had been Patron and President of the Guild since 1937, and she provided a great deal of support throughout her 67-year association with the Guild until her death in 2004.
New planting took place in 2010 thanks to sponsorship from Fidelity International, and nine years later a more significant refurbishment took place with a plan devised by the renowned landscape gardener Mary Keen to rearrange, refresh and restore the planting of the garden. Shrubs were used more than perennials for simplicity, and some plants from Princess Alice’s original list were introduced.
Since 2020, two memorial tables have been added to the garden, one recognising John Wickham, the renowned urologist who trained and worked at Barts and the man who introduced the concept of minimally invasive therapy, or keyhole surgery. The other table pays tribute to long-time Barts and Guild stalwart Jackie Roe, who took particular pride in maintaining the upkeep of the garden.
We have been fortunate to receive two grants, in 2019, and 2024, from the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, a charity that supports public spaces from urban farms and church yards and modestly sized gardens, such as the Princess Alice, to projects to improve larger parks and community gardens. Their valuable work helps to ensure that city dwellers can enjoy the beauty of green spaces and keep London’s ‘green lungs’ in good health.
As Barts and the City has got busier, and louder, the Princess Alice Garden remains an oasis of calm, save for the constant interruptions of pigeons and the resident, extremely tame, squirrels!
If you’d like to help us maintain the garden for the benefit of Barts patients, please consider joining the Guild as a member or making a donation.