Tower of London Unveils Garden to Celebrate Queen's Jubilee — in Its Moat Accessible by Slide!
HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES Tower of London
Royals fans can literally slide into Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations!
The entrance to a new floral tribute at the Tower of London called the Superbloom includes a slide down from the entrance to give the celebration a new playful edge.
The moat around one of the world's most famous palaces has opened to visitors, as 20 million seeds of 29 different species have been planted to create a spectacular garden. The 13th-century moat that once helped defend the Tower from invaders has been a lawn since 1845, when the swampy, fetid mess was filled in.
But people haven't been able to freely walk around it until now, with the floral tribute dedicated to the Queen, 96.
HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES Tower of London
The Superbloom is meant to pay homage to naturally occurring phenomena that, when conditions are right, see massive concurrent sprouting of flowers and plants.
"The Platinum Jubilee is a rare occurrence to match that," Rhiannon Goddard, project director for the Historic Royal Palaces's exhibit, says. "People are stepping outside the city and into nature."
Or sliding in — as Historic Royal Palaces have recycled the slide that was at a National Trust stately home for use by children and adults alike.
Below the slide is an ongoing legacy, a new natural landscape has been created as the palace are set to keep it open for years to come.
"Planting will change but it's a nice opportunity for people to come down. It's the biggest change here at the Tower since 1845," Goddard adds.
HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES Tower of London
In bloom now at the gardens are purple alliums — matching the color of the Jubilee emblem. Cornflowers sprouting through too, a blue color that serves as a nod to the moat's water.
But with it being a relatively dry spring, with only 30% of the average rainfall, it doesn't have the full effect yet.
"Seedlings are coming through but they are a little behind," Goddard concedes.
HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES Tower of London
The music of Erland Cooper resonates around, with his track circulating in a 20-minute loop punctuated by a three-minute harp section.
Influenced by Brian Eno's "Music for Airports," "it's the simplest feather of a thing" — similar to a pollinator taking the theme around "like a a sonic murmuration," Cooper says.
He listened to the traffic and recorded it and the music mimmicks its rhythm and frequency. "The sound of the horns of the traffic feels like they're part of the score," Cooper adds.
HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES Tower of London
Further round the moat is an installation called "The Nest" by artist Spencer Jenkins made from sustainable willow, complete with little port holes for visitors to peep through to see the detail of the flowers on the meadows below.
"It's designed to slow you down as it opens up to a circular place, to give people space to stop and look," Jenkins says.
The moat tour ends with copper and bronze sculptures of bees and other insects suspended from stems making them appear to be buzzing above the gardens.
🎉🌸 The Queen's Garden is here! 🌸🎉 Inspired by HM The Queen's coronation gown, see @JacquardMax Studio's glass sculptures installed at the @TowerOfLondon. pic.twitter.com/YVKE9S1SZk
— Historic Royal Palaces (@HRP_palaces) May 27, 2022
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By the gate is the only Platinum Jubilee-specific garden, inspired by the Queen's Coronation outfit. There are yellow and silvery flowers to mimic the decoration on her gown and paying tribute to the places the Queen is sovereign of: tall poles holding the floral emblems of England, Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland. Close to ground level is a model of an Irish shamrock, which designer Norman Hartnell had secretly embroidered into the dress in 1953 as a symbol to bring the Queen luck on the day, Goddard says.
Superbloom will be open from June 1 until September 18. Later in the summer, visitors will be able to visit until 10:30 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday to see the garden lit up with colored beams targeted on specific flowers.
Around 1,500 schools from across the U.K. are also taking part in a legacy project, planting seeds in their own playgrounds and fields and learning about how gardens can benefit wellbeing.
