Maxine Morse · Sep 10, 2023 · 5 mins

Crossrail Place Roof Garden – Canary Wharf’s Hidden Leafy Spot

Updated: Sep 10

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Crossrail Place Roof Garden is a leafy oasis hidden in the roof top of the Canary Wharf Elizabeth Line. Canary Wharf, home to our corporate sector, is an urban mass of concrete and glass. So the thought of spending a half an hour looking at tropical greenery with great views out over West India Quay dock is appealing.

The History of Crossrail Place Roof Garden

At least our town planners thought so. In 2008, they hired notable architects Foster + Partners to design this indoor park brim full of unusual and exotic plants. And tucked away amongst the foliage is a performing arts space.

Foster + Partners are luxury casting indeed for such a project. They are the firm responsible for other iconic architectural masterpieces including the neo furturistic central courtyard of the British Museum and the landmark Gherkin building in the heart of London’s financial district.

You’ll notice Foster + Partners trademark triangles in the garden roof design.

Trademark triangles in the Crossrail Place Roof Garden

Shaped like a ship and laden with exotic plant species

The Crossrail Place building reflects Canary Wharf’s maritime history and the outstanding water-side views.

5 Reasons to Visit the Crossrail Place Roof Garden

If you are expecting anything on the scale of the Victorian greenhouses in Kew Gardens you are going to be disappointed. You could probably walk round the whole garden and study the plants in less 20 minutes. Therefore, it doesn’t merit a full day’s visit and is best combined with other activities. Consider visiting after a trip to the London Museum Docklands.

Interesting hoof shaped park bench sculpture

Here are some ideas for enjoying the garden

Bring a picnic lunch with you and eat it sitting on one of the many benches in the garden
Grab a coffee from a ground floor coffee shop and enjoy it in tropical leafy splendour
Make it a meeting point for a blind date. Walk round and admire the plants. If the date goes well, you can always suggest a drink in the restaurant at the back of the garden
Bring a book to read and use it as an opportunity to decompress

The Planting Plan for Crossrail Place Roof Garden

You may think that Foster + Partners have overthought the planting plan!

The garden lies directly north of Greenwich on the Prime Meridian. Therefore, they have divided the plant species into varieties that grow on the west and east hemispheres.

In the Western Hemisphere section (the Americas New Zealand and Australia) you’ll find plants like:

Soft tree fern
Golden tree fern
New Zealand fern
Sweet gum
Strawberry tree

Ferns in the Western Hemisphere of the Crossrail Place Roof Garden

In the Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, Africa, Asia and Russia) you’ll find plants such as:

Northern Japanese maple
Black bamboo
Northern Japanese magnolia
Veitch bamboo

Bamboos in the Eastern Hemisphere of the Crossrail Place Roof Garden

The Crossrail Gardens website has more information on the plants and planting plan.

If you are enjoying this piece on Crossrail Place Roof Garden, check out our post on Kew Gardens in Winter and Richmond Park.

Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward and the Invention of the Terrarium

Crossrail Place Roof Garden resembles an Enormous Terrarium

If you think that the garden is similar in design to a terrarium you are entirely correct.

Nathaniel Ward was a botanist who invented a sealed glass container which was used for transporting plants from overseas to Europe. The survival of many of the species found in this garden is due to his invention of the Wardian Case as it was known.

Find the Story Dispenser Near the Restaurant

With relaxation in mind, there is a story dispenser situated near the restaurant. You decide whether you want to read for one, three or five minutes and the machine dispenses a ticker tape print out of a story.

Crossrail Place Roof Garden in a Nutshell

Great views over the Canary Wharf docks and buildings
Sublime Foster +Partners architecture
Exotic plant species
A place to meet friends or relax

Practical Information About Crossrail Place Roof Garden

Directions to the Crossrail Place Roof Garden

How to find it

Come out of the station at Canary Wharf’s Elizabeth Line and take the entrance behind you. You will see a cartoonish multi coloured wall with escalator and lift to the roof garden.