Private roof garden overlooking the Bank of England is to open to the public for free

"A private roof garden overlooking the Bank of England that appeared in the London Olympics opening ceremony is to be opened up to the public for free for the first time. The roof garden is at the top of No 1 Poultry, the (in)famous post-modern office block on the corner of Bank junction, and completed in 1997 to a design by James Stirling. Over the years, it's had a few changes, but it hasn't really kept up internally with modern working practices."

"The roof garden has existed since the building was constructed, but has had a mixed history, as it was always private for the rooftop restaurant, but had to be retrofitted to deal with a suicide and access even to paying customers was restricted. More recently, the carefully cultivated lawns and hedges have been replaced with astroturf. As part of the refurbishment scheme, the old restaurant is being converted into offices, and they will retain the inner circle space for their roof terrace."

The No 1 Poultry roof garden overlooks the Bank of England and featured in the London Olympics opening ceremony. Completed in 1997 to a design by James Stirling, the roof garden remained private and tied to a rooftop restaurant, with access historically restricted and retrofitted after a suicide. The carefully cultivated lawns and hedges have more recently been replaced with astroturf. The current owner plans a refurbishment that converts the old restaurant into offices while retaining an inner circular terrace, and will open the Apex Garden to the public for free via a reopened entrance and dedicated lift.

Read at ianVisits