2. April 2026

Celebrating London Pride

The City of London was heavily bombed in WW2, particularly during the Blitz from September 1940 to May 1941. St Paul’s Cathedral survived, standing firm through the smoke and flames thanks to the bravery of a band of over 300 volunteer firefighters called St Paul's Watch. 

When the bombing ended, a tiny evergreen perennial began to self-seed in craters and bomb sites across London. Its Latin name is Saxifraga Urbium, but it's also known as London Pride. In the Spring of 1941, Noel Coward wrote a song celebrating London Pride and the resilience of Londoners. 

There's a little city flower,
Ever spring unveiling,
Growing in the crevices,
By some London railing.
Though it has a Latin name
In town and countryside,
We in England call it
London Pride.

In May and June London Pride's tough brick-red stems carry candy floss clouds of cheerful pink and white flowers. These surprisingly ornate flowers sway gently above tidy evergreen rosettes. These days it's rare to see this reliable and hardy plant on our streets. A London Pride revival is long overdue!