New green mural unveiled at Royal Brompton

A striking new mural has been created at Royal Brompton Hospital, transforming a grey concrete wall into a riot of floral colours and patterns.

Located beneath the concrete accessibility ramp at the entrance of the hospital’s new Diagnostic Centre, the mural is visible from Sydney Street, offering a welcoming sight to patients and visitors alike.

The design was developed through a series of collaborative workshops with patients and staff. It features a selection of plants chosen for their historical and medicinal links to heart and lung health. Among them are:

• Opium poppy – traditionally used for pain relief
• South African geranium – known for treating bronchitis and respiratory infections
• Garlic – valued for its antimicrobial and cardiovascular benefits
• Woolly foxglove – used in the treatment of heart failure

Patient Paul Rochford, who participated in one of the workshops and is a former Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, said: “Flowers and greenery are so important for the healing process – they speak to you in a way that other things do not. They are basically just good for you.”

Samantha Cliffe, senior nurse matron at the Diagnostic Centre and advocate for patients and staff, added: “Our patients often arrive feeling nervous and anxious. The mural, along with the surrounding flowers, helps to ease those worries and create a more calming environment.”

The mural was brought to life thanks to the leadership of Katarina Heldring-Morris, lead administrator for nursing workforce and education, and Miranda Wicking, associate director of strategy and service development. The project was supported by the rb&hArts team, members of the Chelsea Physic Garden, and generously funded by the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity.

Sue Medway, director of the Chelsea Physic Garden, said: “When people enter the Garden, they immediately decompress. Without plants, nothing else in the world would exist. Plants are at the heart of us as human beings – they’re essential to our wellbeing and to everything else in our lives.”

The wall is part of a wider initiative at Royal Brompton to help ‘green’ the hospital’s various spaces, in addition to the Sydney Street site. rb&h Arts and an informal network of staff are working on the project together, conscious that green spaces, flowers and plants are all regularly cited in research and in patient feedback as being of significant benefit to healing and recovery.