Victoria has just got a whole massive hedge of new greenery! Rubens at the Palace recently unveiled its new ‘Living Wall’ – a full 350 square metres of vertical living greenery. The hotel in fact held its unveiling party pretty much at the same time that the birth of Prince George was announced!
Malcolm Hendry, General Manager, told the Evening Standard:“It was a marvellous coincidence that the Living Wall was unveiled just as the new Prince of Cambridge was born and an orange moon shone over London followed by the sounds of adulation, champagne corks popping, thunder and lightning.”
Check rates at Rubens at the Palace Hotel
The Living Wall was designed by Gary Grant and Treebox and aims to make central London greener. During our tour (when we were even hoisted up to take a closer look) it certainly impressed with its diverse and already surprisingly rich collection of greenery and insect life.
Jonathan Raggett, MD of Red Carnation Hotels, said; “We’re excited to be unveiling the Living Wall on the side of the Rubens at the Palace. It was a project we bought in to from the very beginning and thanks to the belief and investment of our owners, it’s not only been brought to fruition but significantly enhanced from the original concept stage. We take the issue of sustainable tourism very seriously across the entire Red Carnation Hotel collection, and this wall will minimise the hotel’s impact on the environment and also improve the air quality and aesthetic in this part of London.”
Check rates at Rubens at the Palace Hotel
The launch party at the hotel also featured cocktails and canapés inspired by plants and wildlife. We understand that a specially-themed afternoon tea is in the pipeline. The first stage of the wall was also recently shown on a Twitter pic taken as a bird’s eye view from the top of the wall.
Check rates at Rubens at the Palace Hotel
The wall is home to some 10,000 different plants and flowers and is set to become an important and very visible contribution to the surrounding area, helping to attract wildlife like bees, butterflies and birds. We can’t wait to walk past this vertical garden when we’re next in Victoria and observe the changes throughout the season! It offers another great excuse to take afternoon tea at The Rubens.
Check rates at Rubens at the Palace Hotel
Photo credits: LHI blogger Rajul, Rubens at the Palace.