The Botanical Gardens

I returned to the Sheffield Botanical Gardens last Thursday on a cold, but sunny day as there's so much to see and enjoy, not only in the glasshouses, but in the extensive grounds that are divided into different areas containing specimen trees and plants from every continent.

At this time of the year the early Spring flowers are prominent in the Woodland garden and along the paths that have been laid to take the visitor into every corner of the many acres of land.

This is one of the paths that leads down to one of the main gates on a road near to the church in the distance. At the point where I took this photo I was in the middle of the gardens and a walk to another main gate was just as far.  Many people use the gardens to get from one part of the city to another and at the same time enjoy a pleasant walk.

A sheltered spot called Osborn's Field is a good place to sit and rest.  The principal entrance can be seen in the distance.

There are other paths meandering through the trees and shrubs, including rhododendrons, in the Asian garden.  It was quite a surprise to see them in bloom, but it's also a sheltered area because the ground rises to form wooded hillocks.

The area by the fountain at the end of the Long Walk is a favourite one especially with bridal couples and their guests when the glasshouse pavilions are used for a wedding celebration.

The pavilions also house interesting plants from the temperate regions of the world and I will post about these another time.

Ancient local farmhouses

The countryside we drove through last week was once the ancient seat of the Worrall family. There are several substantial dwellings sheltered by the crest of the hilltop and surrounded by other farm buildings. All the farmhouses have interesting historical features.

This farm has windows with stained glass panels in them and a chimney stack with emblems of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem because the property and land had once been owned by a local priory, The Priory of St. John of Jerusalem, dissolved in Tudor times, then owned by wealthy local nobility, patrons of the Worralls.

This house and farm was the former manorial home of one branch of the Worrall family. The open pediment over the front door and an ancient barn still containing four sets of oak cruck timbers indicate that it was an important dwelling. There are only one or two cruck barns in the area that have survived and this one is well-preserved.

Illus. Bob Warburton 

In a cruck building the weight is carried on pairs of timbers called cruck blades which rise from the

the ground base and meet at the apex of the roof.  The wood for the blades is selected from

naturally bent trees. The structure is strengthened by the cross beams.

It was an interesting experience to see these architectural features and learn about the history of this farming community in former times.