Live History: Plants, Art and Survival in the 1700s
Location:
Chelsea Physic Garden
Date & time:
Saturday 27 Sep 2025, 10.00am
Price:
Free
About the event
Step back into the eighteenth century and meet two extraordinary botanical artists whose lives were shaped by plants, art, and survival.
Elizabeth Blackwell
A pioneering artist, determined and resourceful, creating one of the first illustrated herbals by a woman. Her pen and brush not only recorded the healing power of plants but also fought to free her husband from prison.
Blackwell undertook the extraordinary task of drawing, engraving, and hand-colouring 500 plates of medicinal plants, many of them growing here at Chelsea Physic Garden.
John Tyley
Born free in Antigua and largely self-taught, Tyley became a skilled illustrator at the St Vincent Botanical Garden, the first botanic garden in the Caribbean. Employed by the superintendent Dr Alexander Anderson, he produced exquisite watercolours of tropical plants such as avocado, cashew, and breadfruit. His drawings, preserved today in the Linnean Society, remain vital records of the plants of the Caribbean.
Throughout the day these artists will appear in the Garden to share their stories. Discover the challenges of being a woman making her way in science, or a free man of colour working in a colonial world. Explore how their art gave lasting form to the plants that shaped medicine, trade, and empire.
Encounters and performances throughout the day around the Garden.
FAQs
Is the Chelsea Physic Garden accessible?Most of the Garden is fully accessible, with the exception of the first floor Gallery at Chelsea Physic Garden which is used only for special events and is only accessible via a narrow 22 step staircase with a handrail.
If you are attending an event and need help please get in touch at enquiries@chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk or call 0207 352 5646.
Bikes (including folding bikes) and scooters are not permitted. There are bike racks located along Royal Hospital Road. These can be used to secure any bikes and scooters.
Please do not secure any bikes or scooters to the railings outside the Royal Hospital Chelsea or Burton Court. Any items secure to these railings will be removed.
Our sponsor
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