Jekka McVicar's Herb Day
May
1
to May 2

Jekka McVicar's Herb Day

We are delighted to welcome a group of friends of Jekka’s who are expert speakers from the worlds of food, horticulture, wellbeing and bees. They all share Jekka’s passion for herbs and sustainable growing.

Throughout the day, they will lead guided Jekka's Herbetum tours, live demonstrations and inspiring talks, offering practical knowledge and seasonal insight drawn from years of hands-on experience.

At the heart of the day is Jekka McVicar VMH, award-winning herb grower, author and consultant. Known as the “Queen of Herbs”, Jekka has spent over five decades championing the culinary, medicinal and ecological importance of herbs, inspiring growers and chefs worldwide.

Kim Walker will speak on the Friday and lead a forage walk on the Saturday

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Unearthing Texts, Tonics & Trees: The Apothecaries & Chelsea Physic Garden
Jun
26
10:00 AM10:00

Unearthing Texts, Tonics & Trees: The Apothecaries & Chelsea Physic Garden

Spend an immersive day exploring the history of plant medicine across two exceptional London sites. Begin at Chelsea Physic Garden, London’s oldest botanic garden and a former training ground for the Society of Apothecaries, with a guided tour of its medicinal plant collection led by the Horticulture team, followed by a talk from Medieval Historian Dr Rosalind Lintott drawing on rare books and manuscripts to explore health and healing from the 16th to 18th centuries.

After time to enjoy the Garden and a hot lunch, continue to the rarely opened Apothecaries’ Hall in Blackfriars, where Biocultural Historian Dr Kim Walker will deliver a lecture on botanical drugs, alongside tours and displays on plant medicine, herbals and the Apothecaries’ role in the historic drug trade. The day concludes with a hands-on bitters-making session and botanical drinks in the Hall’s picturesque courtyard.

Early bird £140 (until 30 April) | Full rate £150. Lunch included.

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The botanical history of the gin & tonic
Feb
13
6:00 PM18:00

The botanical history of the gin & tonic

This talk was recorded and can be viewed here: LINK TO LINNEAN SOCIETY YOUTUBE

Kim Walker and Mark Nesbitt, Kew botanists and authors of Just the tonic: A natural history of tonic water (Kew Publishing, 2019) explore the history of the popular effervescent mixer. They believe that tonic water has been the unjustly overshadowed partner in the famous gin and tonic. The cocktail is thought of as a quintessentially English drink, yet its origins lie in the cinchona trees of eastern slopes of the Andes and the malarial landscapes of Asia. In this richly illustrated talk, Kim and Mark cut through centuries of legends to reveal a history of botany, medicine, empire and drinking to discover how the tree came together with alcohol and soda to create the perfect gin and tonic.

Tickets include a Kew gin and tonic cocktail or mocktail.

Ticket booking soon

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Oct
4
12:00 PM12:00

Reconectando las colecciones de Cinchona en Madrid y Kew (Real Expedición Botánica al Virreinato del Perú)

Reconnecting Ruiz and Pavon’s collections of Cinchona bark (1777-1787) housed between the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Madrid.

Scrap sketching paper used as a seed collection in the Ruiz and Pavon Peruvian Cinchona collection in Kew. The image has been traced to the ‘The dying Gaul’ aka ‘The dying Galatian’ statue now housed in the Capitoline Museum. Probably sketched from …

Scrap sketching paper used as a seed collection in the Ruiz and Pavon Peruvian Cinchona collection in Kew. The image has been traced to the ‘The dying Gaul’ aka ‘The dying Galatian’ statue now housed in the Capitoline Museum. Probably sketched from a print.



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May
19
1:00 PM13:00

TOXIC AGENTS: The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish with Plants

TOXIC AGENTS: In conversation with anthropologist and artist Kapwani Kiwanga and principal curator Miranda Lowe of the Natural History Museum about botany, colonialism and acts of resistance.

Event details:

Salmo salar - The Three Realms by Chris Watson has been commissioned by Serpentine Galleries and L-Acoustics on the occasion of The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish, 19 May 2019, EartH London (part of the Serpentine's General Ecology project). The project uses L-ISA (Immersive Sound Art) technology to deliver highly realistic, spatialised sound, like in nature itself.

https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/shape-circle-mind-fish-plants

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Oct
26
5:45 PM17:45

Heritage Lates: Brilliant Botany - medicinal plants of South America

Join the Anaesthesia Heritage Centre for a celebration of the Museums at Night festival on Friday 26th October.

Learn about two of South America’s medicinal plants; cinchona and curare. We will be hosting two lectures on these fascinating botanicals from anaesthetist and historian Dr. Ann Ferguson, and researcher, Kim Walker, from Kew Gardens. Handling objects and specimens will be on display.

Afterwards visitors will be treated to a gin master class where you can take away your own tailored gin sample, with more gin & tonics and South American nibbles served throughout the evening.

To top off this fun-filled evening, visitors will get an exclusive preview of the Heritage Centre’s new exhibition on muscle relaxants ‘Doctor Says Relax’.

Ticket price includes food and drinks at the reception.

Doors open 17:45pm. First lecture will begin at 18.15pm.

Tickets are non-refundable, however, if you purchase a ticket and you are then unable to attend, please contact the Heritage Centre and let them know. If they are able to re-sell your ticket, a refund might be possible. This will be taken on a case by case basis.

For more information please contact the museum at heritage@aagbi.org.

Tickets HERE

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