Crossrail Place Roof Garden named London’s most ‘peaceful’ place in new analysis

New analysis reveals where London’s residents and visitors can find tranquility in the city, after it was named the 4th ‘noisiest’ in the UK (out of 39).

Spanning the UK, Europe and US, new research by Earth.fm—a non-profit which is like Spotify, but for nature sounds—aims to connect residents and tourists in noisy cities with nearby parks and open spaces that visitors describe as calm and peaceful.

The research ranks the cities by comparing the percentage of residents who are exposed to high noise levels (>65db) in an average day, and in London, it’s 13.9%.

But there are many wonderful spaces in and around London that offer a sense of tranquility. By analysing visitors’ reviews that mention words like “quiet”, “relaxing”, “tranquil”, “calm”, and “peaceful”, researchers at Earth.fm gave each place a ‘Quiet Score’. Here are the top 10 for London.

As a point of comparison, the highest ‘Quiet Score’ in the UK is 10.1 and goes to Dr Neil’s Garden in Edinburgh. Meanwhile, the lowest in the UK is 0.2, and the average is 2.7. Despite its proximity to the bustling Canary Wharf, London’s Crossrail Place Roof Garden has an impressive ‘Quiet Score’ of 9.2, meaning it’s considered the 3rd ‘most peaceful’ place in the UK (and 6th internationally, out of a whopping 3,372 places across the UK, US, and mainland Europe that were included in the research).

WHO says the impact of noise pollution on human health is “an underestimated threat”, and with good reason. Because we subconsciously interpret abrupt noises as signs of danger, they “strain [the] autonomic nervous and endocrine systems”. As a result, noise pollution can impair sleep, work and school performance, hearing, and cognitive function.

Catalin Zorzini, Founder of Earth.fm, said: “Opportunities to find quiet—away from traffic noise, pneumatic drills, and the general city buzz—are so important for our mental wellbeing. We could say it’s also crucial for the wellbeing of our planet, which is suffering mostly because we have grown so disconnected from it. We recognise that, for most of us, it’s a privilege to regularly leave the city in search of birdsong, flowing rivers, and rustling leaves, which is why we wanted to find out where some of the most calming spaces are within easy reach. The Earth.fm team has pulled together a new interactive world map, showcasing the parks and open spaces we discovered during our detailed analysis of reviews they’ve received. Whether you live in or are visiting some of the world’s noisiest cities, we hope this research will open a doorway into the tranquil places that can be found in even the unlikeliest of urban locations.”

Featured Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash.