
Velonotte™ Botanica:
Plants tell London's stories.
Sunset bike promenade with botanists
and historians & a special soundtrack.
Saturday May 10th, 17:00
Dedicated to 400 years of the Ark of John Tradescant, the first botanical garden of Europe

Badge & tshirt per gli iscritti
VeloNotte Botanica
VeloNotte Botanica
Take a ride to explore plants that made London pleasurable throughout its history, from the Romans to Brexit.
The VeloNotte, the white night of architecture by bike, is back in London with its 39th edition.
Velonotte Botanica is an enchanting bike journey through the Centre and the South of London where history, architecture, and the blooming May green intertwine. We will uncover the rich diversity of plants, trees, flowers, and gardens that have been shaping London’s landscape. And as we wander through old winding paths, we will reconstruct the personalities of the famous botanists who once tended to these grounds.
Celebrating the Ark!
Dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the first public Botanical garden of Europe, — “Tradescant’s Ark”. Around 1625 Tradescant leased an estate in Lambeth to locate his collection, which soon became the most extensive in Europe, but more importantly, accessible to the general public. ‘Tradescant’s Ark’ was recognised as a unique educational asset to the capital.
The meeting point is 17:00 at the Monument. Departure at 17:30.
The ride will last about 3 hours and will finish next to Windrush Square, Brixton.
If you don't have a bike, there is a well-developed bike sharing in London, -- just take your time to register and borrow a bike a little bit beforehand.
Expect a 5,5 miles relaxed ride to ponder the scenery and imagine that we're traveling in time. A nice workout for parents with kids too.
Velonotte Botanica is curated by landscape architect Thomas Steven and urbanhistorian Sergey Nikitin-Rimsky, with Manuela Merlo & Velonotte International.
Speakers
— Jennifer Potter, writer, author of “Strange Blooms: The curious Lives and Adventures of the John Tradescants”,
— Dan Pearson, OBE, landscape designer, creator of Bonnington Square gardens and Princess Diana memorial,
-- Roy Vickery, botanist, compiler of the "Dictionary of Plant-Lore"
-- Tim Waterman, Professor of Landscape Theory and Inter-Programe Collaboration Director at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. I am Vice-Chair (and former Chair) of the Landscape Research Group (LRG), advisor to the Centre for Landscape Democracy of the Landscape and Spatial Planning Institute at NMBU in Norway
— Christian Burkhard, architecture researcher, founding chief editor of Architectuul (Berlin).
Please bring with you:
• Fully-charged smartphone with headphones to be able to listen to the audio streaming from your cell phone
• You will need a bike with a bell, front and rear lights
Audience
Age appropriate for age 6 to eternity.
For history, biology and gardening enthusiasts, bike and nature lovers, people who love to explore the place they live in.
Velonotte is a non-commercial non-government association of scholars architects and artists which mission is to inspire people with urban legacy. You can donate to encourage our work. If you like to know more about how to support us, please write to us .

Experts and speakers of Velonotte Bergamo
— Jennifer Potter, writer, author of “Strange Blooms: The curious Lives and Adventures of the John Tradescants”,
— Dan Pearson, OBE, landscape designer, creator of Bonnington Square gardens and Princess Diana memorial,
-- Roy Vickery, botanist, compiler of the "Dictionary of Plant-Lore"
-- Tim Waterman, Professor of Landscape Theory and Inter-Programe Collaboration Director at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. I am Vice-Chair (and former Chair) of the Landscape Research Group (LRG), advisor to the Centre for Landscape Democracy of the Landscape and Spatial Planning Institute at NMBU in Norway
— Christian Burkhard, architecture researcher, founding chief editor of Architectuul (Berlin).
Velonotte Botanica Team
Thomas Steven
Sergey Nikitin-Rimsky
Adam Thompson
Manuela Merlo
Sergey Kamenskiy
cvbetto design


What is VeloNotte?
We explore cities by night and by bike.
We have a generous selection of scholars and architects to guide us.
VeloNotte has a scenario – beginning, middle and the end, like a good piece by Shakespeare.
From ghosts to bricks we weave it all into a compelling story.
More than 100.000 people joined our events worldwide.
Velonotte speakers featured Richard Rogers, Peter Ackroyd (London), Peter Eisenman, Cinzia de Lotto, Stefano Aloe (Verona), Ken Jackson (Columbia), Maria Vittoria Capitanucci (Politecnico di Milano), Jean-Louis Cohen (New York University), Franco Cardini (Normale di Pisa), Carlo Blasi (La Sapienza, Roma), Pier-Ostilio Rossi e Vittorio Vidotto (La Sapienza, Roma), Anna Bronovitskaya, Natalia Dushkina (Markhi).
The project is created and curated by Prof. Sergey Nikitin, urban historian, activist and educator.
Books that inspired us making VeloNotte Botanica
Philip Miller. The Gardeners Dictionary. -- Various editions since 1731.
David Coke & Alan Borg. Vauxhall Gardens A History. -- Yale university Press. -- 2011.
Jennifer Potter. Strange Blooms: The Curious Lives and Adventures of the John Tradescants. -- 2008.
Andrea Wulf. The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession. -- 2009
Roy Vickery. A Dictionary of Plant-Lore. --Various editions, 1995.
Liza Picard. Victorian London: The Life of a City 1840-1870 (Life of London). -- 2006.
FAQ
-- How long it will be?
The Velonotte journey will take 3 hours. No steep hills.
-- Will we have to ride fast?
Never. It is a non-competitive ride.
-- What do I have to take with me to listen to the guides?
We will have a streaming of speakers comments, so please bring a smartphone to follow Velonotte, a battery and headphones.
-- Can we rent bikes in London?
Yes, you can rent a red bike of Santander bike sharing, or something more interesting from local bike shops,.
If you have further questions, please contact us
Thanks to our experts and advisors
Peter Murray
Valentin Diakonov
Dasha Gradolievna
Video: Velonotte Olimpica in London in 2012 was wrapped up by unforgettable concert by Trinity Laban string orchestra at 4 o'clock in the morning
About Us
Since 2007 we have established a series of international Grand-tours in the greatest cities all over the World. Created by Sergey Nikitin & Velonotte International. Read more.
Contacts
You can write email at:
velonotte#gmail.com (please replace # with @)
Meet us in Social networks: www.Facebook.com/Velonotte
www.twitter.com/velonotte



