Located 36 floors high, in London's square mile, the Sky Garden is a unique public space. It's located in the rather quirky 'Walkie Talkie' building at 20 Fenchurch Street, it is open to the public by appointment only and is quite an experience.
You'll need to plan ahead for a visit as you need to book a ticket and be prepared to queue, outside and in. Tickets were free, we booked for 15:30 and we queued outside in the zero degree temperatures, inside for security checks and then for the lift up. We actually arrived in the Sky Garden at 4pm!
The skyline
The London skyline is as magnificent as any capital city. You can see for miles and miles from the Sky Garden. From Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, to Heathrow Airport, over the Gherkin and out to Canary Wharf.
The public
Most of the people in the Sky Garden seemed to be interested in anything but the Sky Garden. Every one had a camera but not everyone was interested in the view.
The garden
I'd read a lot of questionable reviews about the Sky Garden. Mostly people were complaining that it's not really a garden. They do have a point, as it's like a rock garden with plantings but nothing natural is going to grow on the 36th floor.
The palms and tropical plantings make for interesting foregrounds to the jaw dropping exterior views.
Worth a visit?
If you're already in London then certainly plan a visit. My tip would be to wait until summer though unless you don't mind the cold. Also, get a coffee, cake and a rest before rising up 36 floors as none of the above is readily available in the Sky Garden itself. The seating wasn't exactly luxurious and the stiff breeze in the zero degree temperatures didn't make for a relaxing time.
The blue hour
The Sky Garden was not built with photography in mind. The smeary glass guard rail to stop you jumping off and the reflections from the interior lights on the glass windows during the blue hour both made photography a challenge. Which is a shame but the reflections sometimes add something extra to a photograph.
