DRAPERS' GARDEN: SPRING HAS ARRIVED

There is a garden to the north of the Hall laid out in formal style.  One indication that spring has arrived is that two magnolia trees in the garden bloom profusely.  The relative warmth of central London means that they flower early and by late March are a magnificent sight and bring a great splash of colour into the heart of the City.

Looking south towards the Hall.  Throgmorton Avenue runs behind the wall to the right.

Again looking north.  The new Drapers' Gardens office building  is the box of glass just visible behind the magnolias to the left.  The Austin Friars building complex, also part of the Company's estate, are ahead and on the right.  The Drapers' Gardens name for the office block is a reminder that the gardens in the foreground are the remains of a substantial open space.  This was used for recreation and market gardening and existed up to a hundred and thirty years ago before the pressure to develop the site and build offices became too great to resist.