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Adult Learning
Courses and lectures 2010
Take a peek behind the scenes of the Chelsea Physic Garden and learn about medicinal plants, the history of herbalism, vegetable growing, beekeeping, organic pest control and a wide range of courses to inspire your creativity.
For a full programme of events please see below or the full
brochure of our courses and lectures can be downloaded (PDF/1.52MB)
To book: Pre-booking is essential. Please fill in the booking
form (PDF/48Kb) and return it with your course fee. Or you can
book by phone with a credit card on 020 7352 5646 ext 228
At a glance calendar
June
Wed 2, Behind the scenes
Thurs 3, Floral design (beginners)
Mon 7, History of medicine garden tour
Thurs 10, Nutrition & wellbeing –
Plants and herbs for health and wellbeing, changing attitudes to food
in society.
Wed 16, Compost Clinic
Thurs 17, History of herbals and herbalists
Wed 23, History of Chelsea, Paradise Row
Thurs 24, Beekeeping for beginners
Wed 30, Creative writing workshop
Wed 30, Evening lecture: Sir
Hans Sloane; Entrepreneurship and Science in the 17th Century
July
Wed 7, Behind the scenes
Wed 7, Evening lecture: Sloane’s
Herbarium at the Natural History Museum
Thurs 8, Organic pest control (beginners)
Mon 12, History of medicine garden tour
Tues 13, Plant identification (beginners)
Wed 14, Evening lecture: Sloane
the Physician
Tues 20, Natural dyes using plants
Wed 21, Compost Clinic
Wed 21, Evening lecture: The
Importance of Plant Illustration from 1660-2010
Thurs 22, Beekeeping for beginners
Mon 26, Remembered remedies and folk
medicine
Tues 27, Natural world photography (beginners)
Wed 28, Evening lecture: Scents
of History: Perfumery in Britain since Sloane
August
Tues 3, Creative writing workshop
Wed 4, Behind the scenes
Wed 4, Compost Clinic
Wed 4, Evening lecture: Chocolate
Money: Sloane’s Caribbean Cacao
Thurs 5, Ayurveda plants, origins and medicine
Wed 11, Evening lecture: Sloane,
Quinine and the Battle Against Malaria
Wed 18, Evening lecture: Sloane
's Legacy in the International Year of Biodiversity
Thurs 19, Not weeds, but resources…British
Plant Folklore
Mon 23, Natural world photography (intermediate)
Wed 25, Evening lecture: From
Hans Sloane to A History of the World in 100 Objects: Sloane’s
Museum Then and Now.
September
Wed 1, Behind the scenes
Thurs 9, Organic pest control (advanced)
Mon 13, Kitchen medicine chest
Mon 13 & Tues 14, Sketching plants for making
paintings (2 day course)
Thurs 16, Nutrition & wellbeing - Healthy
eating made easy
Mon 20, History of medicine garden tour
Tues 21, Plant identification (intermediate)
Wed 22, Tourism and biodiversity, unholy bedfellows?
Mon 27, Vegetable growing
Thurs 30, Floral design (advanced)
October
Mon 4, Herbal Medicines: what is their role for
the future?
Tues 5, Natural dyes using plants
Wed 6, Creative writing workshop
Tues 12, Advanced water colour techniques for
botanical artists
Wed 20, History of Chelsea, Hans Town
November
Wed 3, Behind the scenes, putting the
Garden to bed
Thurs 18, Nutrition & wellbeing - Super
foods grown in the Garden
December
Thurs 16, Christmas floral design (all
abilities)
More details on the courses (for tutor profiles, please see the PDF brochure)
About the Garden
Behind the scenes,
illustrated talk and tour
With Curator Rosie Atkins and Head Gardener Mark Poswillo.
A step back in history to the time of the apothecaries. Learn more
from the Curator about how the Garden was founded and flourished under
the guidance of some of the world’s best known plant collectors,
followed by an exclusive guided tour of the Garden with our Head Gardener.
Cost: £25 per person. Dates:
Weds 10am – midday, 2 June, 7 July, 4 Aug, 1 Sept and 3 Nov.
Beekeeping for beginners
With Peter James, Chelsea Physic Garden Beekeeper.
We have 3 beehives that produce delicious, delicate tasting honey.
This course includes the fascinating history of beekeeping and gives
a practical insight into the life of a beekeeper and what’s
needed to get started.
Cost: £95 Dates: All Thursdays
10am - 4pm, 20 May, 24 June and 22 July.
Plant identification for
beginners & intermediates
With Chelsea Physic Garden Taxonomist Susyn Andrews.
Gain a greater understanding of how to identify and place plants in
their correct families, discovering plants from around the world in
the Garden.
Cost: £95. Dates: Tues 10am
- 4pm, 13 July for beginners’ course and 21 Sept for intermediates.
Vegetable
growing
With Cleve West, Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal Garden Designer and
renowned Allotmenteer.
All you need to know to plan, design, plant and care for your own
vegetable plot. This course will inspire beginners who want to gain
confidence in growing a variety of vegetables; it will also appeal
to those who have some experience.
Cost: £135. Date: Mon 10am
- 4pm, 27 Sept.
Compost clinic
With Michael Holland of Chelsea Physic Garden
We lift the lid on the fascinating world of compost and teach you
how to make the ultimate ‘black gold’. Produce great compost
and reduce what you throw away.
Cost: £25. Dates: Weds 11am
-1pm, 13th October 2010, February 23rd, April 27th 2011(more dates
will be added in due course)
Organic pest control
for beginners and advanced
With Neil Helyer the Garden’s professional expert on organic
pest control.
Protect your plants from pests with natural solutions, followed by
an afternoon tour of the Garden and glass houses demonstrating how
methods are put into practice.
Cost: £55. Dates: Thurs 1pm
- 4pm, 8 July beginners and 9 Sept advanced.
BACK TO CALENDAR
Medicinal plants
Old
wives tales or old and wise tales? Remembered remedies
and folk medicine
With Medical Herbalist Lara Bernays.
Poultices, wines, vinegars, ointments and salves. Demonstration of
how remedies were prepared and explanations of how they work, including
a walk around the Garden to see many of the plants in situ.
Cost: £95. Date: Mon 10am
- 4pm, 26 July.
Not weeds, but resources…
With Botanist Roy Vickery.
Illustrated talk, guided tour of the Garden and workshop demonstrating
the uses and folklore of native British plants and exploring ways
in which common plants have been used. A closer look at stinging nettles
and ‘wonderful weeds’.
Cost: £95. Date: Thurs 10am
- 4.30pm, 19 August.
Kitchen
medicine chest
With Lara Bernays.
Discovering the wonders of herbs and spices in your kitchen cupboards
and how they were once relied upon for home remedies. History, science
and a practical workshop discovering traditional uses of kitchen herbs
and spices.
Cost: £95. Date: Mon 10am
– 4pm, 13 Sept.
History
of medicine Garden tour
Learn more about the history of medicine with a detailed tour of the
Garden’s pharmaceutical beds, led by experienced guide Ann Chappell,
finishing with refreshments in the Lecture Hall.
Cost: £25. Dates: Mon 2.30pm
- 4.00pm, 17 May, 7 June, 12 July and 20 Sept.
History of herbals and
herbalists
With Letta Jones.
The history of early European botanic gardens and Chelsea Physic Garden.
Early herbals and illustrations including the works of John Gerard
and Nicholas Culpeper, 16th and 17th century herbalists and their
publications.
Cost: £95. Date: Thurs 10am
- 4pm, 17 June.
Herbal medicines and
their contribution to better healthcare: What is their role for the
future?
Debate and discussion with Professor Michael Heinrich.
In this one day workshop we explore the scientific knowledge about
herbal medicines and their limitations. Herbal medical products are
widely available but opinions and experiences about their effectiveness
and safety vary. These themes and latest research will all be explored.
Cost: £30 (includes refreshments). Date:
Mon 10am – 4.30pm, 4 Oct.
Ayurveda plants, origins
and medicine
With Angie Fraser, Ayurveda Practitioner.
Learn about the history and practice of Ayurveda and how plants have
been used in this ancient and traditional healing art. Includes a
tour of the Garden of World Medicine and Ayurvedic beds along with
and a practical afternoon session.
Cost: £95. Date: Thurs 10am
- 4pm, 5 Aug.
Wellbeing
Nutrition and wellbeing
From rhubarb to pomegranates, discover more about the impact of food
on our health today and how knowing your plants and their properties
can contribute to a healthy life. Carla Dixon-Foxley, qualified nutritionist
and yoga teacher, advises on healthy living, nutrition and wellbeing.
Cost: £95 (or £255 for all three sessions)
Dates: Thurs 10am - 4pm:
- 10 June- 'Plants and herbs for health and wellbeing - changing attitudes to food in society'
- 16 Sept- Healthy eating made easy
- 18 Nov- Super foods grown in the Garden
Lectures
Tourism and
biodiversity, unholy bedfellows?
Debate and discussion with Keith Richards. The tension between the
impact of travel and the need to conserve and care for the planet
carries responsibilities. This includes taking a closer look at our
carbon footprint and being aware of the impact we have on the environment.
Cost: £25 (includes refreshments). Date:
Wed 2pm - 4pm, 22 Sept.
History
of Chelsea
With David Le Lay.
Both talks are illustrated and will last about an hour followed by
refreshments.
Cost: £15. Date: Weds, 2.30pm:
- 23 June: Paradise Row. The area between Chelsea Physic Garden and the Royal Hospital, once occupied by elegant houses had gardens down to the river. The talk looks at this area in detail, as it was in the eighteenth century.
- 20 Oct: Hans Town. The 90 acres of land around Sloane Street was developed in 1770-1810 as a New Town on the outskirts of London by architect Henry Holland. In spite of redevelopment, the original layout survives. The talk will trace the architectural history of this important part of London.
Sloane summer lectures
To celebrate the 350th anniversary of Sir Hans Sloane we are holding
a series of evening lectures on our Late Opening Wednesdays 30 June
– 25 August, 6.45pm until 8pm, £15 (Garden admission included)
/ £10 Friends.
For more information and to book call 020 7352 5646 ext 228
Creative
Creative
writing days
Led by Lesley Saunders
Guided time to work on your poetry or prose. Be inspired by the Garden
and our experienced tutor and writer. No previous experience of writing
necessary, just bring a pen/pencil and something to write on. The
October workshop will build on previous writing experience for those
who wish to gain more confidence in their work.
Cost: £95. Dates: 10am - 4pm,
Wed 30 June, Tues 3 Aug, Wed 6 Oct.
Sketching plants for
making paintings (all abilities welcome)
With artist Gillian Barlow of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium.
During this 2 day course we will look at artist sketch books and finished
paintings, exploring how to tackle the plant in front of you and turn
it into a painting.
Cost: £225. Dates: Mon &
Tues, 10am – 4pm, 13 & 14 Sept.
Advanced water
colour techniques for botanical artists
With artist Gillian Barlow.
Choosing how wet your paint needs to be! Dry brush technique for fine
detail. Convey texture in leaf and flower. Avoiding muddiness when
intensifying colour.
Cost: £105. Date: 10am-4pm,
Tues 12 Oct.
Natural world
photography for beginners and intermediates
A rare and wonderful opportunity to spend a day with fine art Garden
Photographer Clay Perry, who will work with you to compose beautiful,
natural pictures with your camera.
Cost: £95. Dates: 9.30am -
4.30pm, Tues 27 July beginners and Mon 23 Aug intermediate.
Floral design
beginners and more advanced skills
With designer Elizabeth Marsh.
Flowers and equipment are provided on this course where you will design
and create exquisite, artistic floral arrangements. Expert guidance
and tuition is given to help you create a display to take away along
with stunning design techniques.
Cost: £105. Dates: Thurs 10am
- 4pm
- 3 June: beginners,
- 30 Sept: advanced skills,
- 16 Dec: Christmas décor, all abilities welcome.
Natural dyes using plants
With Penny Walsh and Diane Sullock.
Exploring and experiencing the colourful history of dye plants with
a practical afternoon workshop introducing mordants and dye baths.
Includes an opportunity to dye an item of cloth or wool and a guided
tour of the Garden’s dye beds.
Cost: £120. Dates: Tues 10am
- 4.30pm, Tues 20 July and Tues 5 Oct.
How to book:
Pre-booking is essential. Please fill in the booking
form (PDF/48Kb) and return it with your course fee.
Or you can book by phone with a credit card on 020 7352 5646 ext 228
Payment and cancellationPlease pay your course fee in full at least 4 weeks prior to the course taking place. For last minute availability we recommend that you call first to check whether places are still available. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Chelsea Physic Garden’.
We are unable to offer refunds on bookings but we may be able to transfer your fee to another person or to another date. Call our office for further advice if required. In case of unforeseen circumstances, we reserve the right to cancel a course in which case you will be given a full refund or the option to transfer to another date.
NB on the rare occasion that a tutor is unable to lead a course, we reserve the right to use an alternative tutor.
Booking confirmation and course information
You will receive a course programme with joining information shortly
after booking, by email or post. Please specify your preference when
you book. Your course confirmation entitles you to 10% discount in
our shop on the day (NB the shop is normally only open on public open
days, you will be advised on arrival).
Catering
Tea & coffee will be provided on all courses. You are welcome
to bring a packed lunch to have in the Garden or to book a table at
our café (NB the café is currently only open on public
open days of Wed to Fri). There are also plenty of shops and cafes
locally should you wish to eat out. Your course confirmation will
entitle you to a 10% discount in our café on the day. Details
of how to make a priority café reservation will be provided
when you book.
Materials
Most course materials are included in your fee unless otherwise specified
in the brochure or joining letter. Please bring your own notebook
and pen to record notes. You will need to bring your own camera for
the photography course. Please also wear appropriate clothing and
footwear for any work or walks in the Garden.
Disabled access
Please contact us if you have specific access requirements and we
will do our best to assist.