The Green Room: opening the door to a global garden

This summer a special UCL project set in the period gardens surrounding the Geffrye Museum opens to the public. The Green Room is a project created by MA students from UCL's Institute of Archaeology in collaboration with the staff at the Geffrye Museum in London, to celebrate and document the story of the museum's historic buildings and gardens during a period of major development. The centrepiece of the project will be a special exhibition in the gardens exploring how the space has been used over time, integrating local history with global influences (particularly in terms of plants), and setting it in a wider social and cultural context. For centuries, public and private gardens have been used for pleasure, profit and utility. The unique history of the Geffrye gardens reflects the changing ways in which urban dwellers view green spaces, and how gardens are framed by our daily lives. The inspiration for the exhibition is the 'green room', the space in the theatre where actors can compose themselves before the show. An extensive programme of events aimed at all ages has been devised to accompany the exhibition which runs from June to September.