A Living Museum
Founded in 1673, the Grade-I listed Chelsea Physic Garden offers an oasis of green in the heart of one of the world’s most iconic urban districts.
Our Grade-I listed four-acre grounds offer a beautiful backdrop to your occasion, comprising over 4,500 individual plant specimens sourced from across the world, and meticulously curated over 350 years of horticultural science.
From the continent’s oldest pond rockery to the tropical plants house in our Victorian Glasshouses; the kaleidoscopic Dicotyledon beds, Ginkgo trees, fragrant Mediterranean herbs, and the intimate paths and peripheries enclosing our two professionally maintained lawns— the Garden provides a stunning location for a function of any size, and has a character and history unique amongst any other venue in Central London.
Your venue, your vision
Our highly versatile dry-hire format makes the Garden exclusively your own, and lets you design your own event, with your own choice of suppliers.
The Garden curates a list of Garden-accredited event suppliers, providing lawn marquees and tents, music, floristry, event planning and a wide variety of food and drink options. We carefully select our accredited suppliers each year for their established industry excellence, their performance at events in the Garden in the past, and for sharing our own commitment to ethical and sustainable working practices.
You can view our full list of accredited suppliers here: Event Suppliers – Chelsea Physic Garden*
Event spaces and facilities
The exclusive hire of the garden grants use of our entire four-acre site. This includes the botanic garden, the main and lower lawns, the café marquee, the Gallery and our visitor welcome building.
Our two lawns are professionally maintained throughout the year, and provide plenty of space for a reception, ceremony, or both. Either or both can be used for a tent or marquee—built, furnished and decorated through one of our accredited providers.
The Physic Gard
Personal Message from the Manager
Name of Wedding Contact: James
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening - wherever in the world you happen to be, and I'm very pleased to introduce myself as Chelsea Physic Garden's Event Coordinator.
To me, every event has its own signature, and that uniqueness thrives nowhere more so than the Physic Garden. We don't offer set packages, but work with you to make sure your event can take on a life of its own. Whatever your vision, please contact us - we would be delighted to hear from you.
We offer a wide range of hire options, from the private hire of our ceremony room for £900 to the exclusive hire of our entire Garden for £12,000.
The facilities available for hire include:
- Exclusive access to Chelsea Physic Garden for your guests
- Main and lower lawns for either ceremony or reception or both
- The Physic Garden Café marquee and gravel terrace
- The Garden Gallery and ceremony room
- Garden visitor reception building and loo facilities
- Gallery tables and chairs and outdoor furniture
- 24kW event power supply
- CPG Event Coordinator support
- CPG Event Duty Manager on the day
- Complimentary admission to Chelsea Physic Garden during public opening hours
What is your No. 1 wedding planning tip for couples?
Don't be afraid to ask your contact at the venue if you are unsure of anything. They know the space and their programme better than anyone else. Remember that when they give advice, it's usually because they know what works well and what doesn't.
What’s your favourite personal touch you’ve seen at a wedding?
A cocktail menu designed and perfectly timed, to include only ingredients that were growing in the botanic garden on that exact date.
Describe Chelsea Physic Garden in 5 adjectives
Historic | unique | beautiful | personal |
Where’s the best photo spot at Chelsea Physic Garden?
Our dicotyledon order beds - it's a big word, but it effectively means flowering plants. We have an entire acre comprising over 2,000 individual specimens across 40 different plant orders, in curated beds that have remained in exactly the same configuration for centuries.
Have you had any celebrity guest or wedding at Chelsea Physic Garden?
Our historic walls, secure entrances and tall treelines create a naturally secluded environment and an ideal setting for those wishing to remain private. Any venue that publicly discloses its clients or guests should be avoided.
What is Chelsea Physic Garden most unique feature?
A prehistoric plant which is so rare that we're not allowed to disclose its exact location in our grounds - you could walk right past it and wouldn't know it. We also have a cannabis license from DEFRA, and grow hemp in the context of different plant materials (alongside cotton and flax) used to make rope.
What part of your business are you most proud of?
Our gardeners, who works tirelessly 365 days a year to cultivate such a beautiful space.