The Time I Went to the Oldest Botanical Garden in London

The past two days have been busy lecture days. Yesterday, while my friends and family were celebrating the 4th of July in the States, we were learning about different techniques in age estimation. For children, we learned how tooth eruption and formation, along with epiphyseal union (when the bones of the skeleton fuse together) and long bone length can contribute to age estimates. For adults, we learned to look at the closure of cranial sutures (the disappearance of fusion lines between different bones of the skull), different aspects of the pelvis, deformation of rib ends, as well as microscopic changes of bones with age. In the afternoon, Durham University professor Dr. Charlotte Roberts came to speak with us about bioarchaeology; a familiar topic for those of us who work in the Nubian lab! One interesting aspect of her discussion was the differences between bioarchaeology in the United States and the United Kingdom. Although Britain is filled with archaeological sites, its foray into bioarchaeology - the study of ancient and historical human remains - is still in its infancy. For example: while the US has had standards for recording data on archaeological remains since 1994, the UK didn't adopt a standard system until 2004. Although I was exhausted from a very long day in class, I hated to waste the 4th of July doing nothing. As it turns out, July 4 was a pretty special day in London after all. Well, sort of. It was the first Wednesday of the summer that the Chelsea Physic Garden, the oldest botanical garden in London, was open late to visitors. And so, one of my classmates and I made the trek to Chelsea, apparently a very posh area of London. Surprisingly quiet for a big city, the streets were lined with old trees and brownstone-esque row houses. The only thing disrupting the serene neighborhood was a single pile of garbage left out on the street after collection day that had been covered with stickers proclaiming "ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME SCENE." Clearly, we weren't on Edgware Road anymore. The entrance to the Physic Garden is easy to miss if you aren't looking for it: a gap in a high stone wall almost obscured by hanging vines and an old plaque signaling its presence. It was a bit pricy to enter the gardens (6 pounds) but worth it. Founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, it maintains a special microclimate that allows plants such as palm trees, gingko trees, and olive trees to grow and fruit outdoors, even in London. The atmosphere inside the garden is pretty unique. If it weren't for people walking around with guided tour headsets, you might think you were walking through an actual Victorian-era garden. There are old glass greenhouses full of plants from all corners of the globe, a butterfly room, a garden devoted completely to medicinal plants from around the world, and even a fern house, a remnant from Victorian times when ferns were apparently extremely fashionable. Right up against the high walls of the garden you can see residential buildings, and out of one gate, the Thames. According to the ticket taker at the front gate, the Chelsea Physic Garden ranks in the top 30 places to eat in London. I'm inclined to believe him based on the food we saw the dinner guests eating at white-tableclothed tables on the lawn. Guess we'll have to come back another time with money! Links of the Day: Chelsea Physic Garden: http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/ Dr. Charlotte Roberts: http://www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/?id=163