Somewhere on our quest for Pimm's, we stumble upon Bunny Guinness and Andy Sturgeon in conversation in Sturgeon's prize-winning garden for the Daily Telegraph.
The garden – voted best in show – was inspired by travel, and (according to the catalogue) brings together 'flavours of the fynbos of the Southern Cape, the maquis shrubland of the Mediterrannean, the chaparral of California and Mexico and the matorral of central Chile'. Corten steel screens 'slice through the design, fusing architectural and sculptural qualities to define spaces and control views'. There is no chance of wandering through the garden on an ordinary public ticket, so it is good to be told that, 'navigating the linear natural stone paths, the views are ever-changing, with controlled vistas and glimpses of the garden beyond. Open clearings of sparsely planted gravel provide places to pause on a journey that culminates in a courtyard at the rear, where the shade of a stately cork oak and the sound of running water combine to create a contemporary retreat'.
Later in the afternoon, we bump into a sprightly man resplendent in a scarlet coat. 'Welcome to my home,' he says, gesturing in the direction of the Royal Hospital. And, as it is not often one meets a Chelsea pensioner in full regalia, we stop for a chat.
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