Places to Visit in Sheffield

Manor Lodge

Manor Lane, Manor, Sheffield.

Manor Lodge is all that the remains of Sheffield Manor where Mary Queen of Scots spent part of her captivity under the guardianship of the Earl of Shrewsbury. It was built as a hunting lodge in Sheffield Deer Park and in the Sixteenth Century was massively extended to form a handsome residence for the Lords of the Manor as a welcome change from Sheffield Castle. There is a small museum in the Turret.

Manor Lodge featured on the BBC's Restoration a few years ago, and although it did not win, I understand that funds have been forthcoming to conserve and improve the little that remains.

Sheffield Botanical Gardens

Clarkhouse Road, Sheffield, S10 2LN. Tel 0114 2686001 or 2676496.

The Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1836 by horticulturist and landscape designer Robert Marnock on the 19 acre site to the west of Sheffield city centre. They are designated by English Heritage as a Grade II site for their historic and architectural interest. A major restoration of the gardens and the pavilions has been completed in 2005.

The gardens are a lovely place to visit. Even when busy it is possible to find quiet corners full of interesting planting, with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the scents. Some areas have been left wild, but some have definitely not been weeded. My only quibble was that I could have done with a few more signs telling me about the plants and trees. The squirrels are very friendly but expect the visitors to bring them tucker. The site is a bit hilly but for the most part accessible even to wheelchairs. There is disabled parking on site but everyone else has to shift for themselves. When we visited in summer 2007 a residents only parking scheme was in the process of being implemented in some of the surrounding streets. There's a gift shop and a cafe with outside seating but the tea was the usual catering crap (gnats' pee as my sister-in-law calls it). Entry is free. Summer opening Mon - Fri 8am - 7.45pm or dusk, Sat and Sun 10am - 7.45pm or dusk. Winter opening Mon - Fri 8am - 4pm or dusk, Sat and Sun 10am - 4pm or dusk. Pavilions open 11am to 5pm in the summer and 3.30pm in the winter. Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Sheffield Botanical Gardens Slide Show:-
View slide show or individual photographs.

Sheffield Castle

Sheffield Castle was once an important and mighty edifice built near the confluence of the Rivers Sheaf and Don. It was owned by the Talbot family (Earls of Shrewsbury) in the Sixteenth Century and was, at times, home to Mary, Queen of Scots during her captivity. Because of its strategic importance and presumably because it was held for the King during the Civil War it was slighted (destroyed) on the orders of Parliament in the 1640s. All that remains now are the foundations in the cellars of Castle Market. They are occasionally open for viewing. Contact Sheffield Tourist Office.

Sheffield Cathedral

Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul.

Sheffield Galleries and Museums

Graves Art Gallery – Millennium Galleries – Mappin Art Gallery City Museum – Bishops' House
Visit the website at www.sheffieldgalleries.org.uk.

Sheffield Industrial Museums

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet – Kelham Island – Shepherd Wheel
Visit the website at www.simt.co.uk.

Sheffield Winter Gardens

Central Sheffield near the Peace Gardens. The only person I know who visited here was totally underwhelmed.

The Old Queen's Head

Almost swamped by the bus station is the public house now called the Old Queen's Head. It is a Mediaeval half-timbered building dating from the Fifteenth Century and is probably the oldest domestic building still surviving in Sheffield. This isn't difficult 'cause there aren't many old buildings left in Sheffield. It was known in the 1770s as the 'Hawle in the Ponds' and used as a lodge for the fishing and fowling along the River Sheaf and the necklace of ponds that once existed in the surrounding watermeadows.

Rotherham The Unofficial Website

Places to Visit in Sheffield