One of London's most incredible party venues was the scene for a huge "Richard Branson" bash last night high above the rooftops of Kensington. After weeks of delays to the £5 million refurbishment the Kensington Roof Gardens - that infamous private members club that most of us can only dream about having access to on those rare balmy London evenings - has reopened after huge refit. I spent the evening wandering around drinking tropical cocktails and fantasising that this was my house and these were my gardens, or just that I could even afford the membership. But there is a glimmer of hope for everyone who's fallen in love with this little slice of paradise but can't afford this luxury and their membership to Holmes Place - the new restaurant, Babylon, housed on the newly built upper level featuring an "endless aquarium" will be open to non-members for

lunch and dinner. The modern British menu is the creation of chef Vincent Hiss, and has a private dining room for 12 and seating on the terraces with a stunning view of west London. The gardens have an incredibly history. Covering one and a half acres of visually stunning grounds on top of a large block of shops which used to be the 70s icon Biba Department Store, the gardens,, built in the mid 1930s are now the playground of entrepreneur Richard Branson. The Roof Gardens were the dream child of Trevor Bowen, the then Vice-President of Barkers, and the gardens were laid out during 1936-8 by Ralph Hancock, a landscape architect. Hancock brought in some 500 species of plants and shrubs and even imported rock from Pennsylvania for his alpine planting on the

assumption that it would withstand London's polluted atmosphere. Each year 15,000 bulbs were purchased and 38,000 bedding plants were laid out, having been produced in the nursery on the roof. The gardens were constructed around three themes - the Spanish Garden with its Court of Fountains and formal design; the Tudor Garden and Walkway constructed in traditional stone and the English Woodland Garden complete with stream and ducks. Other exotic birds such as flamingoes (which are actually very boring and were giving everyone the cold shoulder during the eventing) and pintail ducks are also to be found in the garden. With change of ownership of the building it has been run as an independent restaurant and night club, firstly as Regine's until 1981 when Branson bought it. Michelle Smith