If you’re one of those nosy Londoners who likes to look through people’s living rooms and right into their gardens as you walk past houses, this one’s for you. In June, you’ll get the chance to snoop around Keir Starmer’s backyard as part of a city-wide event.
The 2026 edition of the annual London Open Gardens will feature guided tours of 10 Downing Street’s garden. That’s right, Londoners will be able to see first-hand the place where Churchill held wartime discussions and Larry the cat’s current stomping grounds.
Two guided tours of the Downing Street Garden will be held on Saturday June 6 at 11.30am and 1.30pm. You can secure a spot via a ballot and there are 24 places available on each tour (visitors must be at least 12 years old and ballot entrants must be 18 ).
Although examining Keir Starmer’s horticultural choices might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there’s more to 10 Downing Street’s garden than that. The green-fingered or art buffs among us might still enjoy seeing the rose beds commissioned by Margaret Thatcher or a bronze sculpture by Barbara Hepworth.
The 10 Downing Street ballot is free to enter, and you don’t need a ticket for the wider London Open Gardens fest to put your name in. The ballot closes on Tuesday May 5 at 11.30pm, and you can enter it here.
However, if you do buy a full ticket (costing £26.15 £2.15 booking fee), you’ll also gain access to 120 secret gardens in London over the same weekend (June 6-7).
Gardens range from allotments and farms to historic, luxury spaces that are usually sealed from the public eye behind buildings. Highly anticipated openings include 30 Cannon Street’s rooftop garden with views overlooking St Paul’s (requires an additional ticket) and Bedford Square Gardens, a Georgian garden square that’s typically locked behind iron fencing. Find a full list of participating gardens here.
Ticket sales will fund the London Parks & Gardens charity, allowing it to maintain and care for these hidden spaces.
Did you see The 6 best free things to do in London this weekend [April 17-19 2026]?
Plus: Hidden gardens and green spaces in London.
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