Guided Tour of Oxford Botanic Garden

A guided tour of the Oxford Botanic Garden led by Marc Brent, the Head of Horticulture.

This is an in person event for OxCAN members with a guest. This is limited to 20 people. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first serve basis with a waiting list for all interested. The meeting point is at the ticket office. Duration is 1 hour.

There is a cafe and onsite facilities available. 

How to get there.

More about our guide:

Mark Brent, Dip. hort. Kew, MCIH, Curator and Head of Horticulture, Oxford Botanic Garden

Mark has over thirty-five years of experience working in botanical and amenity horticulture and has worked for organisations such as the National Trust, Royal Botanic Garden Kew and English Heritage. Prior to joining Oxford Botanic Garden in December 2019, Mark restored the 18th century landscape gardens at Walmer Castle in Kent, home of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, to their former glory. He also spent twenty years working in Cornwall establishing the Italianate sub-tropical style gardens of Lamorran House in St. Mawes. Mark is currently responsible for the curation of the living collections at the Botanic garden and the management of a twelve-strong team of horticulturists.

Inspired by gardens in Europe such as Padua and Leiden, the Botanic garden in Oxford was originally laid out in the 17th century as the ‘Physic gardens’ which provided a living collection of herbal flora enabling the accurate study of medicinal plants by scholars in the University. Presently celebrating its 400th anniversary the garden continues to serve a purpose for the provision of botanical research as well as providing a public amenity where over 5000 species of plants can be viewed. Conservation is a core part of the strategic plan internationally as well as in the United Kingdom, currently horticulturists and botanists are actively working on a project to protect threatened native flora species in Oxfordshire.