Garden Club Outing.

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My Garden Club had an afternoon outing, we all met at a central point, distributed peole into the available cars and off we went. About 40 minutes journey and we were there.

Our Chaiman had arranged for us to be given a guided tour of the Gardens at Wortley Hall, just north of Sheffield. Although it is so near to us, I had not heard of this place at all.

It was a family home of a Coal Owners, the Wortley Family. After they had exhausted the mine, the house was eventually sold to cover death duties. The house was bought by the Mine Workers Union and used by them as a Conference Centre/Rest and Holiday accomodation for Mineworkers. It is currently a Hotel, Conference and Wedding Venue. It still has lots of Information about the work of and history of the Trades union.

The Gardens are not to extensive, but my! are they interesting. There are lots of Specimen Trees, lots of Yew trees and some beautiful Yew Balls on the lawn. There were carpet of English Bluebells under the trees, and the Rhoddodrendums of all colours were just coming out. The weather was not kind to us, but we still continued, sheltering under the trees whil the Assistant Gardener talked to us. A very knowlegable lady.

We visited the kitchen gardens which are looked after by a Charity that offers training to special needs people, who are doing a fantastic job of refurbishing and restoring these, one half is vegetables and the other side of the dividing wall was the Fruit garden. Half way in the Vegetable garden was the remnants of a Pear Avenue, with one tree over 200 years old. They have managed to take cuttings and there was one of these, flowering so they are hoping it may fruit this year. They are pleased with this success because, there are only two or three of this variety in the country.

The thing which interested us was the dividing wall between the Veg garden and fruit garden was hollow, apparently it had steam blown through the cavity to keep the wall warm. To enable them to grow tender plants for a longer season.

Another feature, which sounds nothing, a 400 year old Oak tree, which due to a fire started by vandals, was hollow. The tree survived the fire, and has gone on to put on new branches. It was beautiful, I think they said its girth was 33 feet diameter.

I am sorry, we forgot to take the camera, so no photos. The gardens are open to the public, they do rare plants sales days and have various events and walks throughout the year, and is worth a visit. The house is set in a beautiful bit of countryside, and Wortley Village itself is worth a visit.

www.wortleyhall.org.uk

• 7 May, 2009
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