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Group Visits 2008

Group Visits are available from March 19th-31st October 2008 on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday afternoons from 12:30-4:30pm.

It is advisable to book a group of eight or more people as a group visit to avoid congestion at the kiosk entrance. There is no extra charge for advance reservation. Free guided tours are offered to all visitors to the Garden, however they are provided on a first come first serve basis and are subject to the availability of our guides. If you would like to guarantee a guided tour and specify timings and particular areas of interest, the cost is £25 per guide (on top of entrance fee). Each guide can take a maximum of twenty people on a tour.

For school bookings, please see the Education section.

Please call the office to confirm availability before sending your booking form, provisional bookings are not confirmed until we have received the form itself. To be sure of access on the date you require, your booking form and full payment should be made well in advance of your proposed visit, entrance is not guaranteed if they are not received 2 weeks before your visit. If you are unsure about your final numbers it is possible to give a deposit and settle the balance on the day. Please call 020 7352 5646 ex 21 to discuss.

Click here to download a booking form (Word.doc/37Kb)

Click here for a word document of Group Visit Information (Word.doc/53Kb)

Tour information
• Public and private guided tours are from 1st April – 30th October. If for some reason you would like your tour outside these dates, please call the office to discuss the possibility.
• Tours led by our own Chelsea Physic Garden trained guides takes an hour. Please indicate on the booking form any special interests your group may have, to help us allocate a guide. i.e. Garden history, medicinal plants, plant introductions, perfumery etc.
• Visitors are welcomed to stay in the Garden when the guided tour is over but please note the Garden closes at 5pm.
• The Curator, Head Gardener or Head of Education are sometimes available to give special tours (from £50 per hour).

The Chelsea Physic Garden Shop & Teas
Our shop sells books, postcards, handmade soaps, artisan and novelty gifts, a range of unusual seeds and home grown plants. It also sells a selection of soft drinks, special Sir Hans Sloane chocolate and our own unique honey. The shop is open from April to October on our public days. Our renowned tearoom, which is a destination in itself, serves home-made salads and light lunches (no sandwiches), freshly baked cakes, puddings and scones. Tea and coffee is available as well as a glass of wine. Due to the popularity of our tearoom if you have a group of more than 15 people and would like refreshments or you would like to make special catering arrangements, please contact Linnet from Tangerine Teas on 07720008201 to discuss your requirements so that she can prepare in advance.

Booking Procedure
Please return your completed form, together with a cheque for the full amount made out to ‘Chelsea Physic Garden’ and a stamped addressed envelope marked ‘Group Bookings’. Please ring 020 7352 5646 x 21 to discuss availability and any special requirements but please note our guides are volunteers who are not always in the office so it may take a few days to confirm their availability. You will then receive a written confirmation of your visit with a receipt for your cheque.

Choose your tour:
1. Group Visits on Public Open Days : £7 per head and £25 per guide
Pre-booked groups are welcome on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 12-4pm. Lunch and afternoon tea is available from 12:30. There are some occasional days when refreshments will not be available, please check with the office to see when this is.

2. Commercial Tours: £12 per head and £30 for each Garden or tour guide. Groups of no more than 60, booked through travel agents or commercial tour operators, are occasionally able to visit the Garden on Wednesdays and Thursdays from April to October only. These tours should be booked a month in advance through Group bookings on 020 7352 5646 x 21.

3. Self guided Educational Visits: Tours for card carrying college or university students guided by their own tutors are charged at a rate of £4 per student and £25 for each accompanying tutor. They are available all year on Wednesdays and Thursdays and in summer on Sundays until 30th October. Please note, 2 weeks notice is needed for self-guided tour which must be arranged through Group bookings on 020 7352 5646 x 21

Please note: even if you choose to self-guide we still charge a £25 fee.

School Visits
We have a custom-built Education Room and trained staff who offer bespoke courses for primary school and secondary school children. We also offer INSET training days for teachers. Schools wishing for more details or to book a session with our Education Department should make direct contact with the Head of Education on 020 7352 5646 x 23 or email education@chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk

Entrance to the Garden
• Visitors must arrive by the Swan Walk Gate. Groups will be counted in at the Kiosk who will have been informed of your booking and time of arrival.
• If for some reason you are coming on a date that we are not open to the public you should arrive at 66 Royal Hospital Road. Please ring the bell marked Chelsea Physic Garden to gain admittance.
• You will find a map and further details on the website www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk

Wheelchair access
• The easiest access to the Garden is through the foyer at 66 Royal Hospital Road because there are steps down from the Swan Walk Gate (open on public days only)
• Alternatively we can open the West Gate on Royal Hospital Road but please ring the office bell at 66 Royal Hospital Road for attention.
• There is a non-reservable disabled parking bay outside 66 Royal Hospital Road with dropped curb access to the pavement and another by West Gate
• There is a wheelchair for visitors at the Garden but please ring the office to book it as it may otherwise be in use.

Getting Here
For any further information or assistance in completing your booking form, please call the office on 020 7352 5646 x 21 or email hire@chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk