Urban Tree Festival 2026

7th May 2026

Join mulberry specialist Peter Coles on a walk in two of his favourite London parks as part of this year's Urban Tree Festival:

13th May in Gunnersbury Park 11 am to 1 pm

17th May in Golders Hill Park 11.30 am to 1.30 pm

In Gunnersbury park,  a veteran black mulberry gives us a chance to get up close and see the mulberry's male and female "flowers" (catkins) and to discover the extraordinary Paper Mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera (no longer categorised as a mulberry) as well as some maginificent Cedars and 400-year-old Yews.

Golders Hill Park is Peter's local park and one he's known for over 40 years.  It has the majestic Bandstand Oak, but also a discretely hidden 120-year-old black mulberry tree, as well as two white mulberries and the remains of a Victorian orchard with veteran pear trees, alongside cherries, medlars, crab apples, a Juneberry, Judas tree and more.

Lots to see and lots to learn!!

The full programme is here:

summer foraging walks

10th July 2025

The mulberry fruit season is short - and it's starting now! Join Morus Londinium's Peter Coles on a midweek lunchtime walk to some of London's heritage mulbery trees. Get a chance to sample this unique fruit, with its sweet but tart taste that some say is reminiscent of red wine!  It can be messy though...

For more information and to book a place, click here

Midweek mulberry walk throughthe Inns of Court

8th July 2025

It's mulberry season again and the fruit - at least on my local Black mulberry - are large and luscious.  Join Morus Londinium's co-founder Peter Coles on a lunchtime walk through the secluded gardens of London's Inns of Court. Peter's walks are a quirky mix of natural history, cultural history and fun facts.  Where do mulberry trees grow in the wild?  When did the mulberry first arrive in England? Is it true silkworms don't like Black mulberry leaves?  How old can mulberries live?  

Peter shares some facts and busts a few myths. And at this time of year there is usually plenty of low-hanging fruit for tasting , at least on some of the trees. Be prepared to get messy though.

More information, and to book a place, click here

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/midweek-mulberry-walk-through-the-inns-of-court-tickets-1470947546709?aff=oddtdtcreator

Summer mulberry heritage walks

8th July 2024

It's that wonderful time of year when the mulberries are ripening - and this year looks like a bumper crop.  Morus Londinium's co-founder and author Peter Coles is leading a series of walks in London this summer (starting Sunday 14 July).  

It's a chance to learn how mulberries first came to England, tell the difference between Black and White mulberry species (and the Paper Mulberry), discover some facts about the trees, their fruit - and their leaves (including their use to feed silkworms).  And, at the same time, explore some  historic parts of London where the trees may be all there is to remind us of the past.

There  may even be ripe fruit to pick - but it can be messy so wear old clothes!!

The first walks include the site of James I's mulberry garden near Green Park;  the mulberries of the hidden Inns of Court gardens;  the ancient mulberries of Deptford and Greenwich; and the little-known old mulberries of Camberwell (timed to coincide with a community picnic).

More walks to be announced soon.

Places are limited so book early.

Find out more and book here

Lunchtime mulberry picking

1st August 2023

Join Morus Londinium's mulberry specialist and co-founder Peter Coles for a lunchtime of mulberry picking. For this special event Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park will open its gardener's yard for a select few to pick mulberries straight from their tree, usually hidden behind locked gates. 

Join Peter in nearby West Square  before you start picking to learn about different kinds of mulberry, what the different parts of the tree can be used for and how these trees from Persia and China got to the UK.  West Square has its own spectacular old Black Mulberries too!

The event is free, but booking is essential as places are strictly limited.

Book here

Urban Tree Festival hosts three mulberry walks

8th May 2023

As part of this year's Urban Tree Festival why not join Morus Londinium (one of the Festival's original founders) in a fun 3-part walk that adds up to a half marathon, with historic mulberry trees as waypoints along the way. You can of course just choose to do any walk on its own, or get the satisfaction of clocking up 12+ miles over the three walks. 

The first stage is on Monday 15th May, starting at Charlton House's celebrated 400-year-old mulberry, through Greenwich Park to John Evelyn's veteran mulberry in Sayes Court, Deptford, giving a nod to playwright Christopher Marlowe on the way. More information and booking here.

The second stage is on Wednesday 17th May, from London Bridge to Middle Temple, exploring London's Roman, Saxon and Medieval heritage through the City's notable mulberries.  More information and booking here.

The final stage, on Sunday 21 May, helps close the 2023 Urban Tree Festival week with a walk from St James's Picadilly to Kensington Gardens, exploring the site of James I's mulberry garden. This walk offers a chance to see white mulberries, the species that silkworms once fed on in the wild and which has formed the basis of silk industries worldwide since at least 2700 BC. More information and booking here.

Trace the lost Wallbrook River through hidden mulberry trees

23rd October 2022

The Wallbrook River has been buried for centuries but its course can still be traced.  Discover hidden mulberry trees along the way on this out-of-the-ordinary walk and find layers of fascinating history from the Romans to today. 

Sunday 23rd October at 11.30 a.m.

For more information and tickets: click here

New mulberry walk series

21st June 2022

Morus Londinium's Peter Coles is leading a series of weekly mulberry walks in different parts of London during June and July. Watch this space to find new walks as they are added, or click on  the link below (or copy it and paste into your browser).

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/mulberry-heritage-walks-553939

So far, the walks include Roman London, James I's mulberries and Chelsea's hidden past.  Others to come will include monastery mulberries of the City, and from Sayes Court to Placentia.

Booking is essential and there is a discount for 'early bird' bookings.

Roman London Mulberry Walk

30th June 2022

London's oldest mulberry? A mineralised Roman mulberry pip.

(photo courtesy Lisa Lodwick)

Long before King James I introduced mulberry trees for his short-lived project to raise silkworms for home-produced silk thread, the Romans had brought black mulberries into Britain in the 1st-2nd centuries AD for their nutritious and uniquely flavoured fruit. 

This nearly circular walk uses the Square `Mile's less well-known mulberry trees as stepping stones for an original exploration of the city's Roman and medieval heritage - from the long-lost Wallbrook river to remains of a Roman wharf. We find mulberries among the ruins of the Roman Wall and in gardens of Livery Companies that have had mulberries since Henry VIII's time. 

Although no living mulberry trees survive from Roman times, mineralised black mulberry pips have been found in Roman archaeological sites near to London Bridge. These could claim to be Britain's oldest mulberries – now safely stored in the Museum of London archives.

Take a novel look at London's Roman and medieval heritage and learn about the city's mulberry trees in the company of mulberry specialist, Peter Coles, co-founder of the award-winning Morus Londinium project, and author of Mulberry (Reaktion Books 2019).

This is the first in a new series of weekly Mulberry walks in London in June and July. Watch this space for news of the next walks.

Tickets on Eventrbite here 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roman-london-mulberry-walk-tickets-368255019677?utm-campaign=social%2Cemail&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=strongmail&utm-term=listing

Urban Tree Festival walk in Camberwell

18th May 2022

Mulberry walk in Camberwell  Wednesday 18th May 12.00-14.00

Camberwell is home to some lovely old mulberry trees. This (free) guided walk, led by Morus Londinium's Peter Coles, will visit some of the more accessible trees in Camberwell's parks, but also some that are hidden away...

There is a waiting list, but please sign up if you're interested and the organisers will contact you if anyone drops out. 

More information and booking here:

https://urbantreefestival.org/camberwell-mulberry-walk

Please also see Peter's other Tree Festival walk on 14th May to rediscover the lost hedgerows of an old farm in Golders Green.

Urban Tree Festival 2022

14th May 2022

Morus Londinium's Peter Coles will be kicking off this year's Urban Tree Festival with a wonderful walk around relics of parish boundaries and old farm fields in NW11.  The walk starts off in the stunning Golders Hill Park which, apart from a 400 year-old ancient oak and some massive veteran sweet chestnuts, also has distractions for kids in the form of a managerie (eagle owl, ring-tailed lemurs...), and a deer enclosure.  Following an old parish boundary, we make a detour to walk through one of London's hidden gems - the Edwardian pergola, just as the wisteria and clematis are coming into bloom.

Skirting the continuation of the old boundary, we pass the site of an old gibbet where highwaymen were hanged, take a look at a massive ancient beech next to an archway that belonged to William Pitt's (now demolished) house, seek out the Twin Sisters old oaks that somehow survived massive excavations fon Sandy Heath, some surprising bundle-planted beech trees and a veteran Scot's Pine. 

Walking down to the Heath Extension, we discover relics of hedgerows that have survived from the 17th c Wylde's Farm.  There are banks with very old hazel coppices, old  oaks - and features of what was obviously ancient woodland: a veteran field maple, some  rare wild service trees (one in blossom)  and the Midland Hawthorn which is uncommon in this part of the country. 

On my last walk I spotted several butteflies, including a speckled wood, small white, and a common blue. 

This is really a trip back in time and has all the features of a country walk just minutes from the Golders Green transport hub.

The walk is free, but booking is essential:

https://urbantreefestival.org/hedgerow-walk

Urban Tree Festival 2021 kicks off

15th May 2021

The 2021 Urban Tree Festival kicks off on Saturday 15th May with an invitation to meditate with Mel Sutton, before launching into nine days packed with  talks, walks (virtual and real), discussions, a book club, and a host of other activities.  

Click here to see the full programme, day by day.  Most events are free but you do have to book, and we encourage you to make a small donation, which will help next ear's festival to go ahead.

Mulberries will be making a couple of appearances during the Festival – on Friday 21st May at 12.00 noon Morus Londinium's co-founder and project coordinator, Peter Coles,  will join John Collins of Hogarth's House for a Q&A Midday Modern Conversation on the Mulberry. 

The title is a play on the title of one of Hogarth;s paintings: a Midnight Modern Conversation (or which only an engraving survives, as well as some painted imitations)

Right after the 'Conversation' I will be going hotfoot into another Zoom room to meet up with Greg Packman, Co-chair of the London Branch of the Ancient Tree Forum and co-producer of the Urban Tree Festival to give a short presentation on ancient urban mulberry trees - and maybe a few other species too.

Morus Londinium will re-start its walks programme after the Tree Festival, so watch this space!

Chiswick Mulberries - a virtual tour

20th May 2020

As part of this year's Urban Tree Festival – which will be entirely online this year – Morus Londinium's co-creator, Peter Coles, will be leading a virtual tour around some of Chiswick's  old mulberry trees.  The tour, supported by the William Hogarth Trust,  will start and end at the historic black mulberry in front of William Hogarth's house in Chiswick to mark the newly re-landscaped gardens.  The mulberry tree probably dates back to the mid 1700s' when Hogarth lived here, and could even be older.  

During the tour we will visit some other less well-known old mulberries in Chiswick, notably along the elegant Chiswick Mall and in the grounds of Chiswick House. Most of these trees are in private gardens and unknown to the public, except perhaps on open garden weekends. Most probably also date back to the 1730s.

The story behind several of these trees is still something of a mystery.  With help from the Old Chiswick Protection Society and local residents,  Peter was just beginning to delve into their history and visit some of the amazing old specimens, when lockdown brough this to an abrupt halt.  But we'll be back as soon as we are allowed.    

The good news is that, because it's a virtual tour, we can cover a lot of ground in an hour and Peter can give you a glimpse of some of the old trees he was able to visit,  which you wouldn't easily be able to see.

The tour is free (though donations are appreciated), but you must book (click here for more information and registration).

Midweek Mulberry Walk: Kensington

27th November 2019

Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and the streets and squares of this part of London have an unusually large number of mature mulberry trees – including examples of the white mulberry, which is the species most often grown to feed silkworms, and which is rare in the U.K. The walk will take in a unique avenue with 14 white mulberries and 8 mature black mulberries.

This late autumn walk is the first in a cycle of four lunchtime walks that will focus on these two species of mulberry throughout the seasons. Winter is a chance to see the trees without foliage, showing off their individual shape.  I often choose winter to photograph trees, for that reason. 

Other walks will be timed next year to observe the male and female catkins and first leaves in April/May, then the characteristic leaf shapes and fruit of the different species and cultivars in July. Finally, next Autumn, we will enjoy the magnificent yellow of the leaves.

The walk starts at Kensington High Street station and explores some of the nearby streets and squares that harbour (black) mulberries. We will pass beneath a 70-year-old black mulberry growing in the famous Roof Gardens at the top of what used to be the Derry & Toms department store on Kensington High Street. The gardens are closed until next year, but we will schedule a visit as soon as they reopen.  

In Kensington Gardens we will spend some time exploring its unique avenue of mulberries, before ambling to Hyde Park Corner, to find a clutch of mature and recently planted mulberry trees there. On the way, we will pass iconic London scenery, both natural and architectural. Last time I was there I even saw a game of polo…

The walk finishes at Hyde Park Corner tube station, which is also on several bus routes.

Booking is essential. To reserve your place and for further details, click here.

Mulberry, a new book by Peter Coles is published by Reaktion Books and available at your independent bookstore or online.

Midweek Mulberry Walk: Deptford to Greenwich

16th October 2019

Deptford and Greenwich have associations with mulberry trees that date back at least to the 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I commissioned a seat to go around the trunk of a mulberry in her gardens at one of her favourite palaces, Placentia (Greenwich Palace). Greenwich Park is still home to four old mulberrytrees. Fourteen fairly rare white mulberries were planted in 2000 in the grounds of what is now part of the Greenwich University campus.

In the mid-1600's two miles away in Deptford, diarist John Evelyn took over his father-in-law's house at Sayes Court and laid out an impressive garden, including at least one black mulberry tree. The garden has long disappeared, but a veteran mulberry tree stands on the site today. And down the road, in the churchyard of St Nicholas' church, where Elizabethan playwright Chrstopher Marlowe is buried, is a lovely weeping dwarf white mulberry. The church contains wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons, a local man, whom Evelyn introduced to King Charles II after he was restored to the throne. Gibbons never looked back - after the Great Fire destroyed St Paul's cathedral in 1666 he made the screen for the new cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Enjoy the autumn colours of the leaves of the mulberry and other trees with a lovely Thameside walk from Deptford to Greenwich (about 2 miles) with mulberry specialist Dr Peter Coles, whose book Mulberry is published later this month.

Meeting Deptford Train Station at 12.30, but you'll need to reserve a place.

Places are limited so book early and enjoy a special discount. More details and booking here.

Midweek Mulberry Walk: Inns of Temple

2nd October 2019

From our starting position on the left bank of the Fleet River, which flows under Faringdon Street, we cross over (and listen to the Fleet through a drain cover), walk to Gray's Inn and then Lincoln's Inn, each with their own mulberry trees and hidden gardens. After visting the poetic and secluded Fountain Court in Middle Temple with two leaning mulberries, we finish our walk in the Inner Temple Garden, with a fine black mulberry and several other mature trees.

A walk punctuated with mulberries, hidden rivers, secluded gardens and the esoteric world of the law courts, led by Dr Peter Coles, co-creator of the Morus Londinium project with the Conservation Foundation and author of Mulberry a global cultural history, published by Reaktion Books on14 October 2019.

Meet at Farringdon station exit on Cowcross Street at 12.30 on October 2.

Places are limited so book early and get a discount. For booking and more information click here.

Midweek Mulberry Walk West Square

11th September 2019

The foraging season may be over for this year but September is still a wonderful month to appreciate London's mulberry tree heritage.  This Midweek Mulberry walk takes in some of the capital's most iconic mulberry trees, as well as tracking down a key figure in the history of the mulberry in the 17th century, John Tradescant the Elder.

This year we were unable to forage in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (GMH) for administrative reasons, but we are hoping  that next summer we can access the splendid old black mulberry in the gardener's private yard, as we did in 2016.

Picking up the strands of the foraging walk we had planned for 29 August, we will start at West Square, surely one of the most extraordinary sites for mulberry trees anywhere in London.  We will then be able to see the GMH mulberry from the road and briefly visit the community orchard in the park.

After winding our way through the streets of Lambeth, with the ghost of an Italian gardener's mulberry orchard hovering, around us, we finish at the Garden Museum next to Lambeth Palace, where John Tradescant the Elder is buried. Tradescant was gardener to Robert Cecil at Hatfield House and to Charles I at Oatlands Our guide, Peter Coles, will explain some of the important contributions Tradescant made to London's mulberry heritage.

Meet 12.30 at West Square gardens. The walk will end at the Garden Museum around 2 pm. You are free to exlore the Museum shop and cafeteria, or for an entrance fee (well worth it) you can explore the Museum collection.

For tickets and information, please go to the Eventbrite page here.  Booking is essential. Hope to see you there!

Cancelled: Late season mulberry forage

28th August 2019

Cancelled

Due to unforseen constraints on our priviledged access to the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth gardeners' yard this year, we have sadly decided to cancel this year's foraging event, as it is too late to make other arrangements for publicly accessible foraging in the borough. 

We are working to be able to offer a series of free mulberry walks throughout 2020, including free foraging walks in July and August.  

Please bear with us as we try to find  secure funding for Morus Londinium, which is currently only supported by walks and events organised and led by Peter Coles, with the website continuing to be hosted pro bono by the Conservation Foundation.

This is a rare opportunity to combine a visit to some of London's most spectacular 200-year-old black mulberries, in West Square, with foraging for any remaining fruit on an old black mulberry in the (private)  gardener's yard of Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (site of the Imperial War Museum).  

This lunchtime walk will take in the very unusual black mulberries in West Square. Planted when the garden was laid out around 1800, the trees' massive, collapsed trunks are now almost  parallel to the ground. There are a few young white mulberry trees in the Square too, which are nationally very rare trees.

With special permission from Southwark Council and GMH  head gardener Dominic Leary, we will have access to a splendid ld black mulberry usually inaccessible to the public. It's late in the season, so we will have to take a chance that the birds (and human forager)s will have left a few ripe berries for us.  At worst, it will be a chance to get in an under a lovely old mulberry tree.

We wil also have the possibility of visiting a community orchard with a couple of mulberry trees, which was established a few years ago in GMH with the help of The Orchard Project.

Our guide will be Peter Coles, the driving force behind the Morus Londinium project,  who will  talk about London's mulberries and their history.   

For details and tickets click here.

Midweek Mulberry Walk - Chelsea

3rd July 2019

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has more old mulberry trees with a story to tell than many London boroughs, but they are often hidden away. On this 2-hour walk we will discover surviving remnants of the 18th century Raw Silk Company plantation, which once had 2000 mulberry trees; we will see mulberries growing on the site of Sir Thomas More’s magnificent home, discover the site of Henry VIII’s Tudor manor house with its own ancient mulberries, find an old mulberry on Jospeh Bazalgette’s Chelsea Embankment… and more.

Meet at South Kensington Tune, Pelham St / Old Brompton Road exit  at 12.00 noon on Wednesday 3 July.

Google Plus code: FRVG+J7 Kensington, London

The walk will end at Chelsea Manor House on Cheyne Walk (or outside the Chelsea Physic Garden) from where it is a short walk to King's Road for buses to Sloane Square Tube.

Note: The parts of Chelsea we are visiting are not well-served by the Tube, so there will be some inevitable walking involved at the beginning and end of the tour if you wish to access public transport.

Please let the organisers know if this will be difficut for you.

For information and booking click here

Urban Tree Festival 2019

19th May 2019

The mulberries of the City's monasteries and Inns of Temple

This walk is part of London’s 2019 Urban Tree Festival, made possible with support from Trees for Cities, the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives through planting trees in cities. 

Many people associate mulberries with James I’s attempt to start an English silk industry in the early 1600’s, but they have played an important part in London life since they were first introduced by the Romans in the 1st century CE. Mulberries have a long association with medieval monasteries and the church, where they were grown for their delicate fruit, which sweetened the dishes of medieval dining tables and offered medicinal benefits too.

The walkshop route will seek out mulberries in and around St Paul’s churchyard, St Bartholomew-the-Great, Charterhouse, Fountain Court (Middle Temple) and the Inner Temple garden.

For more information, to book tickets and details of where and when to meet, please go to the Museum of Walking event page. 

Urban Tree Festival 2019

18th May 2019

Discovering King James I’s Mulberry Garden

This walk is part of London’s 2019 Urban Tree Festival, made possible with support from Trees for Cities, the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives through planting trees in cities. 

Morus Londinium's co-founder, Peter Coles, will be leading a walk around the site of what, in the 17th century, was James I's Mulberry Garden. The King planted 10,000 mulberry trees here in 1609/10 to feed silkworms, as part of his plans to start an English silk industry. 

As well as discovering 10 mature mulberry trees, the walk also takes in a beautiful Wren Church (St James’s), St James’s Square, Henry VIII’s Tudor St James’s Palace, part of the National Mulberry Collection in St James’s Park, and both black and white mulberry trees at Hyde Park corner – the northern edge of the King’s mulberry garden.

Mature white mulberries (the species preferred to feed silkworms) are rare in England, but we will see two on this walk.  Peter will point out the differences between the black and white species and explain how mulberry trees arrived in England 1500 years before James I planted his garden.

For more details, to book tickets and reserve your place on this walk, please go to the  Museum of Walking events page, where you will find information on where and when to meet. This walk is also part of the 2019  Chelsea Fringe. 

Date/Time
Date(s) - 18/05/2019
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Midweek Mulberry Walk: Kensington

27th November 2019

Midweek mulberries: Kensington

Winter Mulberry ID in the Royal Borough

This walk takes In more mulberry trees in just 90 minutes than you could find almost anywhere else in London. Unusually, you will be able to see several established white mulberries.  The white mulberry (Morus alba) is the species usually used to rear silkworms, but is very uncommon in the U.K and there are no veteran examples, besides one old tree in Oxford. However, the walk will include several mature black mulberry trees (Morus nigra). Because the distinctive leaves and fruit of the two species of mulberry will not be visible at this time of year, we will look at other features of the Morus species and delve into the history of mulberries in England.

The walk starts at Kensington High Street tube station and explores some of the nearby streets and squares that have (black) mulberries. We will pass beneath a 70-year-old black mulberry growing in the famous Roof Gardens at the top of what used to be the Derry & Toms department store on Kensington High Street. The gardens are closed until next year, but we will schedule a visit as soon as they reopen.  

In Kensington Gardens we will spend some time exploring its unique avenue of mulberries, before walking through the park to Hyde Park Corner, to find a clutch of mature and recently planted mulberry trees there. On the way, we will pass iconic London scenery, both natural and architectural. Last time I was there I even saw a game of polo…

The walk finishes at Hyde Park Corner tube station, which is also on several bus routes.

Booking is essential. For more details and to book a place, click here 

Mulberry by Peter Coles is published by Reaktion Books. 

Available from your local independent bookseller, or online.

Midweek Mulberries: Lewisham

13th February 2019

This walk uses two old mulberry trees to help reveal Lewisham's fascinating history. We start at the site of Lewisham's Silk Mills which once stood on the banks of the Ravensbourne River. Silkworms will only feed on the leaves of the mulberry tree, but this silk mill used imported yarn. Once a major employer in the area - Girls as young as 11-13 worked long hours - the Silk Mills produced silk for buttons and ribbons. All that is left today are evocative street names, like Silk Mills Path, but the presence of the mill can be seen in local topgraphy.

We then cross the Ravensbourne to the site of other long-lost mills near to Elmira Street. The recent housing development around Prendergast Vale School replaced a previous 1960s development which in turn grew up on the site of mill works and Victorian housing. All that remains is a wonderful 150-year-old black mulberry tree, that once stood in the playground of a Victorian boys’ school.

The walk continues through Victorian streets parallel to the Ravensbourne River, ending at the former Ladywell Vicarage (now an NHS facility). Built in the late 17th century by Rev. Stanhope,, the building has been developed and extended twice. But hidden from view at the rear is a rare, sprawling black mulberry tree that is anywhere between 150 and 300 years old. Possibly one of the oldest in South London. We will have privileged access to the tree, which is usually closed to the public. Nearby we can see some imposing and eccentric Victorian architecture.

Meet at Elverson Road DLR, footbridge on Platform 1 side at 12.00 noon.

The walk finishes within easy reach of Ladywell train station and major bus routes, or a 10-minute walk to Lewisham railstation.

For booking and further details click here

"Midweek Mulberries" is a series of lunchtime walks led by Dr Peter Coles, co-founder and chief researcher of the Morus Londinium project. Peter is Visiting Fellow at Goldsmiths University of London and the author of "Mulberry", a global cultural history, to be published by Reaktion Books this autumn. 

Midweek Mulberries

16th January 2019

16th January 2019  Meet up Belsize Park Tube at 12.30 (noon).

This lunchtime walk led by Morus Londinium's driving force, Peter Coles, starts at Belsize Park Tube station and ends at Hampstead Tube station (both on the Northern Line) around 1.30 pm.

Linking up some old and some-not-so-old mulberry trees, we explore this historic part of northwest London, with its village atmosphere and heritage of writers, artists, musicians... and celebrities. Starting at Belsize Park, we pay homage to an old black mulberry tree on a street corner, once near the entrance to the 17th century Belsize  House, with its celebrated Pleasure Garden.

A short walk away is Keats House, home of the romantic poet John Keats, who would have known the fabulous, reclining old mulberry tree in the front garden when it was still upright and a good bit youmger. Did he compose Ode to a Nightingale under it?

Passing an unexpected mulberry tree in a garden a hundred yards away and another at the top of Willow Road, we walk through Hampstead village and along Church Row, one of the finest Georgian streets in London. It was once home to Lord Alfred Douglas (Oscar Wilde’s lover), H.G. Wells and comic Peter Cook.

Behind St John's church in Frognal Way is the last mulberry on our walk, overhanging a wall. For those with a bit more time,  the churchyard of St John’s church has some magnificent seet chestnut, yew and hooly trees, as well as the tomb of celebrated landscape artist, John Constable.

Having worked up an appetite, the nearby Holly Bush pub is just one of  many eateries in Hampstead that serve a good lunch. Take the Tube back from Hampstead station, or explore some more of the village down Rosslyn Hill to Belsize Park.

This walk is about 1.5 miles and is uphill for some (but not all) of the way.

To book:

http://www.museumofwalking.org.uk/events/midweek-mulberries-belsize-park-to-hampstead/

Midweek Mulberry Walk

12th December 2018

Midweek Mulberry Walk

21st November 2018

Together with the Museum of Walking, we have created a new series of mideweek mulberry walks on Wednesday lunchtimes. As we try them out during the winter they will be monthly. When the weather gets better in Spring - and according to the response - we will make them fortnightly and, who knows, even weekly...

We kick off with a fantastic new walk, starting off in Clerkenwell, where there was once a Mulberry Garden, complete with nine-pin bowling alley (hence Bowling Green Lane). There are still lovely little parks here, one with its own white mulberry tree. Nearby is the head of the New River, created by Hugh Mydellton and opened in 1613, soon after James I's massive importation of mulberry trees for his silk project around 1609.

From our position high up on the left bank of the Fleet River, which flows under Faringdon Street, we cross over (and listen to the Fleet through a drain cover), walk to Gray's Inn and then Lincoln's Inn, each with their own mulberry trees and hidden gardens. After visting the  poetic and secluded Fountain Court  in Middle Temple, we finish out walk in the Inner Temple Garden,

A walk punctuated with mulberries, hidden rivers, hidden gardens and the esoteric world of the law courts, led by Dr Peter Coles, co-founder of Morus Londinium and editor of the website.

For tickets and information, visit the Museum of Walking website.

East End mulberry heritage walk

23rd September 2018

Join us on Sunday 23rd September from 11 am to 1 pm for a guided walk to some little-known mulbery trees in London's East End, from Stepney to Victoria Park, led by  Morus Londinium's co-founder, Peter Coles.  Discover a fascinating part of London,  learn about mulberry trees and London's 2000-year-old mulberry heritage.

Please click here for more details and to book a place.

Three Parks Mulberry Walk

28th July 2018

29th July 2018 3 pm - 5 pm  (free)

Meet at West Dulwich railway station

As part of National Parks City walk, Morus Londinium's Peter Coles will lead a free walk in association with the Museum of Walking to look at mulberry trees in three of London's parks - Belair, Brockwell and Myatt's Fields, as well as taking in two old mulberries in  the grounds of Dulwich Picture Gallery. 

The walk is free but places are limited, so you'll need to book (click on the link)

Self guided | A Marvellous Mulberry Monastery Walk

Follow this short self-guided walk, for mobiles and PCs. You'll uncover mulberry trees, young and old, on the sites of former monasteries in London's 'Square Mile'.

The Bethnal Green Mulberry Lecture

20th March 2018

Peters Coles and Julian Forbes Laird examine the Bethnal Green Mulberry tree in the grounds of the former London Chest Hospital. This event is NOT part of the Morus Londinium project.

Self guided | Charlton House to Sayes Court Park

A self-guided walk from Charlton House to the green surroundings of Greenwich Park, the university, and if you are feeling energetic, onwards to Deptford

Love Forty Hall Park Day mulberry events

22nd July 2017

Celebrate all things Forty Hall, including their marvellous mulberries, on Saturday 22nd July. Morus Londinium will be running a special craft workshop that tells the tale of London's mulberries and silk worms, whilst Dr Peter Coles will be revealing the history of the estate and tree, as part of Love Forty Hall Park Day.

Morus Londinium Installation

20th May 2017

Reflect on two of London's oldest mulberry trees and their stories with installations this summer, from May 20th, at Charlton House in Greenwich and Forty Hall in Enfield.

Charlton House & Greenwich Guided Walk

28th May 2017

Explore the marvellous mulberry heritage, and the story it can tell, of Greenwich and the surrounding area with Dr Peter Coles, including the university, Queens Orchard and other sites. The walk will start at the old mulberry tree at the entrance to Charlton House at 11am on Sunday May 28th, before finishing in Sayes Court in Deptford. The guided walk is free but booking is essential.

Stalking Trees: Migrants, mulberries and silk weavers

15th May 2017

Peter Coles will lead a guided walk, "Stalking Trees - Migrants, mulberries and silk weavers", as part of the London Metropolitan Archives: Word on the Street Festival. The walk goes from Spitalfields to Shoreditch, participants will seek out remnants of mulberries whilst exploring the area's Huguenot heritage. The guided walk costs £10 and is supported by the London Metropolitan Archives

Mulberry Walk and Harvest with The Urban Orchard Project

3rd August 2016

Come and explore the rich fruit heritage of London with Morus Londinium and The Urban Orchard Project. Join in on this guided walk to hear about the history of Mulberries in West Square and the young orchard in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth. The walk will end with a Mulberry Harvest in the gardener's yard at Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park. The guided walk is free and will start at West Square on August 3rd at 12.30pm, no booking needed.

Greenwich Guided Walk

17th July 2016

Explore the marvellous mulberry heritage, and the story it can tell, of Greenwich and the surrounding area with Dr Peter Coles, including Sayes Court, the university, Queens Orchard and other sites. The walk will start at Deptford Overground station on July 17th at noon, before finishing at the Observatory cafe. The guided walk is free but booking is essential.

The City

31st May 2016

Discover the tales told by London's mulberry tree heritage after work with a free guided walk by Peter Coles to launch The Conservation Foundation's Morus Londinium project and celebrate London Tree Week. Peter will explore some of the Square Mile's heritage mulberry sites, and the area's wider history, before finishing with mulberry-themed refreshments.