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Fearne Cotton launches Shard's new sky garden attraction
Radio star and TV presenter Fearne Cotton cut the ribbon this morning (11 June) on London's highest roof garden – a summer installation at The View from The Shard attraction.
The summer garden space sits 800ft (244m) above the city on the sky deck of the Renzo Piano-designed Shard. Western Europe’s tallest building has been transformed with over 2,000 plants and flowers to celebrate the British summer.
Taking months to prepare and more than 350 man-hours to fully install, national floral favourites including poppies, fox gloves, lavender, marigolds and birch trees have been planted in over 10,000 litres of soil, set amongst a further 750m (2,461ft) of decorative foliage.
In addition to the attendance of a heavily-pregnant Cotton, the garden's opening ceremony featured a traditional performance from Blackheath Morris Men – a local group who have previously performed with Monty Python’s Eric Idle at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.
In keeping with the "quintessentially British experience," guests to The View from The Shard can book a Sky-High Tea picnic from Fortnum & Mason with their visit from 23 June, or enjoy a gin-and-tonic flavoured ice-cream whilst taking in the panoramic views for up to 40 miles (64km).
Rooftop gardens are proving increasingly popular attractions across the London skyline. The Rafael Viñoly-designed Walkie Talkie skyscraper in nearby Fenchurch Street has drawn huge crowds to its Sky Garden since launching in January.
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