Rocks linked to scientific adventure
An historic rock garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden is home to an extraordinary rock garden which is a Grade II* listed structure and is the oldest rock garden in England on view to the public. It was completed on 16th August 1773.
The purpose of the garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden began in 1673 as a training ground for apprentice apothecaries - the forerunners of modern pharmacists. Apothecaries based many of their treatments on plant products and so needed to be able to identify plants.
The garden was designed to allow plants from all over the world to grow successfully. The rock garden with pond was added in 1773 to increase the range of habitats.
The Endeavour voyage
Some of the stones around the pond in the rock garden can be traced back to James Cook in the Endeavour. This was a scientific expedition to observe the transit of Venus due in June 1769.
The rock came back from Tahiti as part of the ship's ballast. Also included was a giant clam shell which still stands alongside the rockery.
Basalt from Iceland
Joseph Banks travelled with Cook in the Endeavour. He was a botanist with the expedition and collected hundreds of plant specimens during the voyage which visited South America, Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia before returning to England between 1768 and 771.
Joseph Banks had planned to join Cook's second expedition. This fell through so instead, he sailed with fellow botanists and explorers to Iceland in the ship Sir Lawrence. For the return journey the ship was loaded with Icelandic basalt as ballast. On his return Joseph Banks donated some of this rock to the garden. This accounts unusual amount of dark rock in the garden.
A bust of the explorer and botanist is perched on some of the basalt to commemorate his help.
Stone from the Tower of London
The rock garden also includes chunks of the famous building material, Portland stone. This was salvaged from the Tower of London in 1773 and accounts for the strange architectural shapes of some of the pieces in the rock garden.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 20 January 2007
