The London Informer

"Most Londoners dream of finding a quiet corner of the capital to escape to when the rat race becomes too much. Away from the roar of engines, out of earshot of beeping mobile phones and laptops, and far from the cries of an irate boss.

Unbelievable as it might sound, writer Karen Liebreich found just that when she climbed a 10ft wall to peer into a hidden haven in the heart of west London.

After years of walkng Dutch barge dog Balloo around the grounds of historic Chiswick House, the mum-of-two finally decided to discover what lay behind the crumbling wall.

'My friend gave me a leg up then lost his bottle and left me dangling there, peering over the wall,' said Dr Liebreich, 42, who moved to Chiswick eight years ago.

'There was a huge enclosed garden, overgrown with masses of brambles and covered in gravel and rubbish. I thought it could be marvellous and it was such a shame that it had been left in that state."

Buzzing with excitement, she rushed home and immediately started letting her imagination run riot. Looking out over her own garden - little more than a narrow strip of lawn - Dr Liebreich's mind went wild with images of verdant patches of grass, colourful blooms and succulent vegetables.

Badgering the owners of the secret garden (the local authority) soon paid off when the passionate horticultrualist was handed a key to the two-acre plot....

It is almost impossible to believe the ancient garden lies less than 10 yards from the busy A4, because once you are inside the walls all you can hear is birdsong and the rustle of leaves.

A tawny owl has made his home among the spindly trees, which grew from saplings left behind when the kitchen garden was used as a nursery in the 1980s and 90s.

"Hounslow Council was very brave to let in this mad woman who had no obvious qualifications, apart from the ability to keep going on about the garden," said Dr Liebreich. ... But it will be amazing, and it is so important to have such a wonderful place in London."

More than 700 youngsters have so far lent a hand - some of them even having their very first taste of homegrown produce, including crisp lettuce leaves with bread donated from a local shop...

"People might think I'm crazy to do all this, but I suppose I still have that dream of creating our very own secret garden."

Feature article, 3-page spread.

London Informer, 24 March 2006