It was approaching night fall as we arrived at our deadly destination. Our guide warned us not to touch or taste anything beyond the gates, while unlocking them. Inside, we had a whistle stop tour of some of the most dangerous plants in existence. A lot of them were quite commonly known, like rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum) and castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). With the latter, the Latin gives away the dangerous toxin within. There were also various well known recreational drugs, including khat and cannabis, which The Alnwick Garden Poison Garden has to have special permission from the Government to grow.
We were at The Alnwick Garden at such a late hour as guests of the Royal Society of Chemistry who were hosting a special event there: The Molecules of Murder. The talk, by author John Emsley was unfortunately way too quiet from our spot at the back of the room. Unfortunately we couldn't see the screen either. But we got the gist - which was how many of the most gruesome famous murders and attempted murders have been carried out using poisons.
After the talk, we eschewed the networking opportunity to stretch our legs around the main feature of the garden - a huge complex of fountains that were lit just enough for us to climb the steps up one, then down the other side, awestruck by the view.
Our spooky adventure ended with drive along country roads to a stop-off in Amble. After passing some local teens who, by the look of them may have been inhaling something we had just seen growing under lock and key, we had a chip supper overlooking the harbour. In the dead of night, only the alternating red and green beacons could be seen, preventing sailors from fatal encounters with the piers.
We were at The Alnwick Garden at such a late hour as guests of the Royal Society of Chemistry who were hosting a special event there: The Molecules of Murder. The talk, by author John Emsley was unfortunately way too quiet from our spot at the back of the room. Unfortunately we couldn't see the screen either. But we got the gist - which was how many of the most gruesome famous murders and attempted murders have been carried out using poisons.
After the talk, we eschewed the networking opportunity to stretch our legs around the main feature of the garden - a huge complex of fountains that were lit just enough for us to climb the steps up one, then down the other side, awestruck by the view.
Our spooky adventure ended with drive along country roads to a stop-off in Amble. After passing some local teens who, by the look of them may have been inhaling something we had just seen growing under lock and key, we had a chip supper overlooking the harbour. In the dead of night, only the alternating red and green beacons could be seen, preventing sailors from fatal encounters with the piers.