Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire (3)

Seeing the late-flowering daffodils in the lime avenue of Renishaw Hall gardens was a delightful surprise and I could have lingered there on the top lawn where there are many beautiful trees in blossom, the Waterloo oak planted in 1815 to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, as well as the Gothic Temple and the 'Bothy' wall which is part of two old work men's cottages.

  

Apparently the Victorian statue, 'The Angel of Fame', was gilded by Lady Sitwell during a time in 2002 when she was doing a gilding course, which included items in the house.

The Gothic Temple was built in 1808 as a conservatory by Sir Sitwell Sitwell, later used as an aviary and is now a dog cemetery.  A favoured breed is the daschund, which features on many an item in the house.  However, it was a beautiful black Labrador dog that came and joined our party of visitors.  (There's a relaxed atmosphere as one wanders around and all the staff are very helpful and informative, although it's not possible to take photos in the house).

A view from the Bothy

The South Front of the house with flower borders full of seasonal plants and the lawned areas of the formal gardens are of interest as well as a place to sit and relax.  However, my aim was to see the woodlands and the bluebells so I headed for the Woodside, the new Woodland Garden and the Wilderness.

The gardens at Renishaw Hall were designed and created by Sir George Reresby Sitwell over the fifty years between 1886 and 1936 and further work was undertaken by the present owner's parents.  

Sir George's garden was once bounded by a chestnut fence on the eastern side of the grounds with a wooden gate which was the entrance to the woodlands.  (A painting by John Piper, one of many that can be seen in the house, shows the original gateway and statues of Warrior and Amazon that 

still stand in place today)

Another entrance to the woods, where there is a beautiful camellia avenue, is situated on the Bottom Terrace. (camellia 'Donation' and camellia 'Lavinia Maggi)

There are many mature trees, more magnolias, a laburnum tunnel and classical features in the

Wilderness and Woodside with walks down to the lakes.

                                                                  Magnolia 'Vulcan'

                                                                 Magnolia 'Milky Way'

Down below me was the Gothic arch which was another subject that captured the imagination of the painter, John Piper, who called his painting 'Arch in the Ravine'.  It was once the gatehouse to the entrance when the drive led straight over the River Rother.  It was created by Sir Sitwell Sitwell, but was no longer needed when the bridge over the river collapsed and another driveway to the house was used.

The gardeners were busy at work - always plenty to do at any time of the year!

                                                         Another beautiful camellia

I didn't go down to the lake, but enjoyed the view from the Bottom Terrace. 

I think the popular Rother Valley Country Park must be located somewhere in the area on the distant horizon with its man-made lakes created from the former quarries of the industrial era.

The Sitwells' monetary assets came from local ore and coal extraction on their land. Renishaw must have been an oasis in the middle of this major industrial scene and it's good that today this family home, the gardens and some of the grounds are open to the public for most of the year.

Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire: (2)

When I visited Renishaw Hall on Friday I had all day long to wander around the gardens as my husband left me there after having refreshments in the stable courtyard cafe.

There are many aspects to the gardens and grounds. A visitor who returns several times soon realises that everything has been thoughtfully designed so that the formal leads to the informal, naturalistic  mixture of planting on the edge of the woodland and lakeside walks.

There are beautiful vistas from every angle of the main garden and it was a delight to see the flowering shrubs and trees as well as the tulips, forget-me-knots, Imperial fritillary etc. in the flower beds near the house and on the top lawn by the lime tree avenue.

     

                                                                 Magnolia 'Denudata'

The first photo of the fountain and swimming pool on the Swimming Pool Lawn was taken during a visit on a sunny day at the beginning of April, 2011 and the water really did look a turquoise blue!

Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield

Over the primary school years our two local grandchildren have had several school visits to Kelham Island Museum to learn about Sheffield's industrial history and last Wednesday I went there myself for the first time with a friend. We met when we did a family history research course and we both have an interest in local history.

The museum has many interesting displays, reconstructions of different types of workshop and working machines. The largest of the machines is the River Don Engine which was used for hot rolling steel armour plate and is housed in its own huge space and fired up for several minutes on certain days.  It was an amazing sight to see the pistons moving up and down, steam rising and the huge wheel turning. The groups of schoolchildren and other visitors were impressed by the movement and the noise.

                                                           The River Don Engine

  I'm sure the school children learnt a lot thanks to this presenter's lively talk.

It's possible to spend a number of hours looking around the museum and learning about the development of the metal industry through the ages.

A boneshaker bicycle made in the mid 1880s

and tools made from the end of the 19th century.

                                                       A Victorian cast iron fireplace

'Staybrite items' for domestic and decorative use

As the welcome plaque in the entrance says: -  'You can discover how a small village grew into a city.  Find out why the words 'made in Sheffield' are a mark of quality all around the world.'

The story of workers, rivers, steam, trade, war, cutlery, steel, inventors, machines, wealth and poverty.

Personally, it was the story of the inventors and their experimental work on metal processes, the silversmiths and their skills in making fine items and the work of the men and women workers in the heavy and light metal-working industry that impressed me the most...

such as the strenuous labour that had to be undertaken to pick up the crucible of molten metal and pour it into the mould.  The men had to protect their lips from blistering by putting rags into their mouths.

The 'buffer girls and women' stood for up to 12 hours at a time.  'Buffing' or smoothing and polishing was the final stage in making decorative objects like spoons, tankards and teapots.  The girls needed a keen eye and nimble fingers, but their hands would often get scratched and burnt by hot resin.

There could be accidents and serious injuries if fast rotating buffer wheels flew off . 

We also had a look at the new Harry Brearley exhibition which was set up to commemorate the 100 years since the invention of stainless steel which was a break-through in the manufacture of  rustless steel.

Meeting my friend at the museum I walked through an area of the city which still retains many of the  old mills and workshops by the River Don.  I took photos to record a changing urban landscape as the bulldozers move in to demolish some of these interesting former industrial sites. 

In the city there's a new mural of Harry Brearley on the side of the Howard Pub near the Sheffield Train Station and the Sheffield Hallamshire University.