Discovering Gardens: Day Schools on London Gardens - Day Schools

Course Programme

The full course comprises the following three sessions, however you can sign up for individual sessions.

• Kensington Gardens: Wednesday 7 May 2025 - 10:30 to 16:00 (morning at Imperial College)
• Kew Gardens: Wednesday 14 May 2025 - 10:30 to 16:00 (all day at Kew)
• Battersea Park: Wednesday 21 May 2025 - 10:30 to 16:00 (all day at Battersea Park)

The programme might be subject to change depending on circumstances beyond our control, such as garden closure.

Your tutor, Deborah Trentham, was trained in the history of art, architecture and garden history. She has been teaching garden history for fifteen years including at Birkbeck (University of London) and Capel Manor College where she also taught the history of architecture. As well as teaching at Imperial she currently teaches garden design students for KLC School of Design in Bloomsbury and Hampton Court Palace.

As well as appearing on television and radio, Debbie is author of the new book Botanical Gardens of the World, and is working on new book covering The 500 Best Gardens in England for Penguin Books.

Rate Categories and Discounts

(For general information only, as the London Gardens Day Schools each operate a single rate)

Standard Rate

• Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category.

Internal Rate

• Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
• People enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
• Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes, including City & Guilds College Association members
• Students, staff and alumni of the Royal College of Art, Royal College of Music and City, UAL and the City and Guilds of London Art School
• Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School

Associate Rate

• Austrian Cultural Forum staff
• Co-operative College members
• Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
• Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
• Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
• Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
• Friends of the Royal College of Music
• Harrods staff
• Historic Royal Palaces staff
• Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
• Members of the Friends of Imperial College
• Members of the Kennel Club
• Members of the London Zoological Society
• Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
• Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• National Health Service (NHS) employees
• Natural History Museum staff
• Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
• Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
• Royal Geographical Society staff
• Science Museum staff
• Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
• Students (non-Imperial College)
• Teachers and other staff of UK schools
• The American Institute for Foreign Study
• Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
• Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
• Victoria and Albert Museum staff

Late enrolment

It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.

Friends and Family Scheme

This course is eligible for allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.

Web enrolment starts 1 March 2025

Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:

• Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
• If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.

When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:

• Questions regarding the content and teaching of the Day Schools should be sent to Dr Michael Paraskos, m.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk
• Questions about your enrolment and payment should be sent to the Programme Administrator, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk