Wimbledon and Putney Commons Winter Talk 2023

"Wimbledon and Richmond – A Refuge for London’s Botanical Gems”
7.00pm Tuesday 6 February 2024

The 2023 Wimbledon and Putney Commons Annual Winter Talk will be held on Tuesday 6 February 2023.

For this year's Winter Talk we are delighted to welcome Dr Mark Spencer, an internationally respected botanist. Mark will be talking to us about the rare and important plants that find a haven in the area.

Several hundred years of intense urbanisation has left its mark on the wild plants of London, and now the unfolding climate and biodiversity crises pose new threats to our botanical heritage. A recent assessment of the status of London's flora has shown that Richmond and Wimbledon are extremely important for the conservation and survival of many of these gems. This talk will provide an introduction into surviving plant rarities such as Meadow Saxifrage, Copse bindweed and Strawberry Clover, tell the tale of the wonders we've already lost and provide some insight into what needs to be done to save what remains.

Event Details

Date - Tuesday 6 February 2024
Time - 7.00pm
Location - London Scottish Golf Club, WIndmill Complex, Wimbledon Common, SW19 5NQ

Cost - The event is free of charge but if you would like to make a donation, you can do so on the evening by cash or card, or you can donate in advance here: make a donation. Please use reference "Winter Talk"

About the Speaker:

With several decades experience of studying plants, Dr Mark Spencer has worked and studied at some of the UK’s most important botanical organisations. Currently he is a consultant botanist specialising in several fields, particularly forensic botany (the use of plants as evidence in serious crime), botanical surveys, curation & museology. Originally a horticulturist, he studied at the world-famous Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He later studied botany at the University of Reading. Mark remained at Reading to do a PhD in the evolution of plant pathogenic fungi. After University he returned to London where he surveyed the capital’s wild plants on behalf of the Greater London Authority. He then spent over 12 years working for the prestigious Natural History Museum, London where he gained an international reputation as an expert in many aspects of botany, collections management and gallery development. In his personal life he is busy coordinating a major project to document the flora of London on behalf of the London Natural History Society and is The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland’s vice-county recorder for Middlesex. In his spare time, he either tends his garden and allotment on the Isle of Wight or can be found in the back streets of London looking for plants or fungi.

Wimbledon and Putney Commons Winter Talk 2023

"Wimbledon and Richmond – A Refuge for London’s Botanical Gems”7.00pm Tuesday 6 February 2024

Event Details

About the Speaker:

"Wimbledon and Richmond – A Refuge for London’s Botanical Gems”
7.00pm Tuesday 6 February 2024

2024 Winter Talk