[soane.org].
London abounds in public gardens, but to combine a green respite with a view of the city that wouldn’t bust the budget (London Eye £21.20, The Shard £25.95) I headed for the hottest new hangout in London. Atop 20 Fenchurch Street, the building derisively dubbed “The Walkie Talkie”, you’ll find Sky Garden [http://skygarden.london], London’s highest public garden. Set 155m up, the award-winning glass-fronted indoor gardens offer a spectacular view. Or so I’m told. I realised only on arrival that tickets, while free, must be booked online up to three weeks in advance.
So I walked south. Past St Paul’s, to admire it for free from the outside, and down to the Millennium Bridge. I listened to the buskers and watched the Thames rush towards the sea.
I had planned to wander through the new wing of the Tate Modern, my favourite free gallery in the city. But, for a change, I’d run out of time, not money.
The donation box at the Tate asks for a few quid to help keep the museum free of charge. After my lowcost day in London, I gladly obliged. — © Richard Holmes