Date/Time
Date(s) - 18/05/2019
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Location
St James’s Church,

Part of London’s 2019 Urban Tree Festival, made possible with support from Trees for Cities, the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives through planting trees in cities.

We are delighted to welcome mulberry tree specialist and urban tree photographer Dr Peter Coles, creator of Morus Londinnium to lead a 2 hour  walkshop to Discover King James I’s Mulberry Garden.

Discovering King James I’s Mulberry Garden

A walk around the perimeter of what, in the 17^th century, was James I’s Mulberry Garden. The King planted 10,000 mulberry trees here in 1609/10 to feed silkworms, as part of his plans to start an English silk industry. 

As well as discovering 10 mature mulberry trees, the walk also takes in a beautiful Wren Church (St James’s), St James’s Square, Henry VIII’s Tudor St James’s Palace, part of the National Mulberry Collection in St James’s Park, and both black and white mulberry trees at Hyde Park corner – the northern edge of the King’s mulberry garden. Mature white mulberries (the species preferred to feed silkworms) are rare in England, but we will see two on this walk.  Peter will point out the differences between the black and white species and explain how mulberry trees arrived in England 1500 years before James I planted his garden.

Meet Peter Coles outside Front Gate (on Piccadilly), of St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly London W1J 9LL

This walk ends at The Lodge Café, 1 Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, London W1J 7NT

Walk tickets: £8 in advance / on the day. Concession (Under 21 or & Senior Citizen – Proof of age required / Reg Unemployed /Disability): £4

When booking tickets we ask you to provide your name , email and mobile phone number – we only use your e mail to send a reminder of the event, and should last minute changes occur to an event, we can text you details on the day (if you provide your phone number).

Please print off your receipt and bring to start of the event as proof of ticket purchase

Find out about other events in the Urban Tree Festival

Bookings