THE CHELSEA " PHYSIGKE GARDEN' 



One has only to examine the ancient grey wall on the Swan walk, 

 or west side, of the garden, and to compare it with the smooth 

 red brick of the houses, and the southern wall, to realize how much 

 of charm has been lost by the demolition and rebuilding on the 

 same site, of the former lecture-hall and Curator's dwelling in 1900. 

 They were probably out of date, inconvenient, and falling into 

 decay and originally no more beautiful in design than the present 

 buildings ; but the mellowing hand of time can always throw 

 a veil over ugliness, and every venerable brick and stone must 

 have told its story, and age and use had doubtless dignified them. 

 Hence I regret that they no longer exist to give point to the story 

 of the ancient garden which I have so feebly told. 



In 1899 the garden passed from the Apothecaries' into other 

 hands. The Charity Commissioners of England and Wales, 

 and the Trustees of the London Parochial Charities, were ap- 

 pointed its trustees in place of the Apothecaries' Society, which, 

 considering that the garden was no longer suitable for botanic 

 purposes owing to the deleterious effect of London smoke and the 

 impoverished state of the soil, desired to give it up. Provision 

 was then made for its management by a committee appointed 

 by the Trustees of the garden, the Treasury, the Lord President 

 of the Council, the Technical Educational Board of the London 

 County Council, the Royal Society of Apothecaries, the Royal 

 College of Physicians, the Pharmaceutical Society, the senate of 

 the University of London, and the representatives of Sir Hans 

 Sloan. 



Under this new management and the care of Mr. Hales, its 

 learned curator, formerly of Kew, whose work at Chelsea is a labour 

 of love, and with sufficient funds to carry it on, the famous old 

 garden flourishes, and has taken on a new lease of life, amply 

 justifying the finding of the committee in 1899, that there was 

 still room for such a garden. 



At the present time there are signs of revived interest in that 

 department of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of 

 simples, and even the press urges that our native medicinal plants 

 and herbs might well supply some of the drugs in constant use, 

 that have greatly increased in price since the world war cut off 

 the foreign supply. Therefore, though it should be remembered 

 that the word " Physic " was here originally employed in its wider 



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