GARDENS & GROUNDS

The layout of the grounds dates from the building of the Hall in the early 1870's. The renowned local firm of William Barron, landscapers and nurserymen of Borrowash, east of Derby, were responsible for the design and planting of the pleasure grounds. The area of approximately 25acres leads from the main Heanor Road in a westerly direction towards the Hall, then beyond across a terrace, rose gardens and walled kitchen garden.

The original planting included a shelter belt of evergreens to the south and west and created a visual screen as well as protection from the strong south westerly wind which sweeps up from the Derwent valley and across the estate, which, at over 100m above sea level stands in a prominent position and suffers from considerable exposure. This shelter belt included pines, many of which now look like feather dusters with small heads of foliage above bare trunks, and an extensive collection of hollies for which Barrons' were renowned. These remain but are sadly no longer identifiable as to their original cultivars.

Within this shelter were many examples of typical Barron plants: Cedars, Purple Beeches, a splendid Monkey Puzzle, Red Oaks, variegated Sycamores, red flowering Horse Chestnut, limes, Tulip Tree (now dead) and a range of maples from both North America and the Far East. These were often under planted with dense shrubberies of Rhododendron, Laurel and Yew, most of which still thrive after regular rejuvenation pruning over recent years. Two main vistas were created: one led down over terraced lawns to the South of the Hall, across a Ha-Ha (sunken fence) with splendid views of the parkland and the valley beyond. The second looked east from the Hall across a sweeping open lawn towards the woodland gardens. This second view bordered the access drive which, until shortly after the Hall became the Derbyshire Institute, featured an avenue of Elms. These unfortunately became diseased and had to be chopped down and their stumps removed with dynamite!! Broomfield's oldest tree is also in this area - a magnificent 360 year old Oak tree whose age was determined by boring through the trunk and counting the rings.

The Walled Garden was both productive and ornamental. Greenhouses adjoined the south and west facing walls growing fruit and flowers and this continued with eventual decline at intervals until the 1980's. Previously the open area of the Walled Garden grew vegetables and the walls free of greenhouses were used for the cultivation of apples, pears, plums and cherries; the apple varieties alone numbered around 50.

Following the creation of the Derbyshire Farm Institute, much development of the grounds took place, mainly under the supervision of Bob Struaghan, Head of Horticulture from 1954 to 1982. Many of the marvellous exotic trees which are now such a feature were planted during this period, for example the Davidia (Handkerchief/Ghost tree), Abies grandis (Grand Fir), Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood) and the Sorbus commixta (Chinese Rowan). To commemorate the Queen's coronation, the three splendid Magnolias were planted at the end of the East lawn. A productive apple orchard was also established and commercial glasshouses for the cultivation of tomatoes, cut flower crops and ornamental pot plants. A windbreak was planted to the north of the pleasure grounds to give shelter from the cold winter winds and in the same period of the early to mid 50's Lathkilldale Hostel and the Conference Room were built, these permitted the establishment of climbers such as the Wisteria, Campsis (Trumpet Vine) and Aristolochia (Dutchmans Breeches); in the 1960's the building of the Teaching Block allowed more tree planting, the Whitebeams (Sorbus), Silver leaved pear (Pyrus salicifolia Tendula') and Tibetan Cherry date from this period.