http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34679 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34679 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34645 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34645 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32384
The Green Point Urban Park in Cape Town is oh-so-accessible, sandwiched between Signal Hill, the oldest lighthouse in South Africa, and the iconic football stadium of World Cup 2010 fame.
Set within this, the Biodiversity Garden celebrates all that is unique about the Cape and its flora, where wanderers are shown the interconnectedness of life and encouraged to 'Make a Difference'.

What’s not to love about this appeal? Perfect for a sunset amble or a morning wake up wander. Big enough to seriously stride around the large circular lawn area, pound the running paths, work out at the trim park or just meander along the wetland walk, among the more 300 local fynbos plant species.

Why the Biodiversity Garden works for me?
The garden is truly laid out ‘for all’ – ages, activities, levels of botanical interest as much as physical mobility …
The signs are crafted to casually inform, the storyboards are easy reads, the plants labels let everyone ‘get the picture’- effortlessly …
So much thought has gone into how the biodiversity message gets across – they ‘show’ things, and ‘tell’ stories, rather than facts …
Botanic biomes and endemic rarities are seamlessly woven into ‘demonstration gardens’, alongside responsible gardening practices …
Threats, like agriculture and alien invasive plants, are dealt with in bite size pieces, and drill down consequences …
Interconnectedness indeed!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32384 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31789 It is now a haven of quiet, contains many original features and has the charm of a bye gone era. No one can visit without being enthralled by the atmosphere.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31789 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31770 In the quiet village of Branxton you can come face to face with Lawrence of Arabia on his camel and Winston Churchill with his cigar as well as all the wild animals you could ever hope to meet in one garden - giraffes, wild boar and penguins to name but a few. There are some fantastic teeth on display – (check out the shark) – I think there must have been some deal going on with a local dentist! Created in the 60s and 70s, by John Fairnington to entertain his son Edwin who had cerebral palsy, each life size statue is full of character and very endearing and I’m convinced you will leave the garden with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31770 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31769 In the middle sits St.Pancras Old Church, one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in Europe. The surrounding park is what remains of the old churchyard cut through from 1863 by construction of the Midland Railway into St.Pancras Station. The exhumation of the graves was overseen by Thomas Hardy, then a young architect, who placed many of the headstones in a circular pattern around an ash tree, whose roots now entangle the stones around what is known as Hardy's Tree.
When the churchyard was re-opened as a public park in 1877 the Burdett-Coutts Sundial had been added as a memorial to all those whose graves had been exhumed and moved elsewhere.
Among the graves that were left in situ are those of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft and the monument designed by Sir John Soane for his wife. The latter will look very familiar to most people because it was the inspiration for Gilbert Scott's design of the K2 red telephone box.
All this for free in a lovely park with a beautiful fence and gates all recently restored with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31769 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31755 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31755 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31739 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31739 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31738 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31738 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31325 Hill (1838-1912) was an amazing woman and way ahead of her time. She was a pioneer of affordable housing and many consider her the founder of modern social work. She campaigned tirelessly for the environment and open spaces and co-founded the National Trust, which today protects over 300 historic properties and keeps 250,000 hectares of land open to everybody.
Hill believed in humane housing conditions and arranged for the construction of two rows of pretty cottages and a community hall, designed by Elijah Hoole. The garden predated the buildings and was laid out in 1887. It was created to provide ‘an open air sitting room for the tired inhabitants of Southwark’ and had an elaborate layout of curved lawns, flower beds and serpentine paths, an ornamental pond with fountain, bandstand and covered children's play area. There were once two mosaics in the garden. One showing ‘The Sower' was restored in 2005 and can still be seen.
Bankside Open Spaces Trust used Heritage Lottery funding to restore the garden to its former glory, complete with pond, bridge, fountain, flower beds and paths winding through this lovely Victorian garden.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31325 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31163 Created by a collective of urban gardeners, designers and a team of volunteers, and shaped by a hospital department, the UPG also hosts a series of talks, workshops and film screenings.
The Rambulance restaurant nestles in the corner of the space in an old ambulance and serves up a seasonal menu of homegrown veg and herbs.
This lovely garden provides a space for artists, gardeners and health workers to explore the role of plants in the nation's health.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31163 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30965 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30965 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30886 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30886 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30855 The garden is open to visitors every day from April to October. A modest entry charge is requested, the proceeds of which are divided between maintaining the garden itself, the National Gardens Scheme and 35 other charities.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30855 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30840 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30840 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30831 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30831 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30819 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30819 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30812 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30812 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30807 I recommend the garden for its early summer colour and above all for its autumn tints. There is nothing better than the stunning Autumn colour reflected in the lakes.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30807 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30806 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30806