Whirlowbrook Hall Gardens - Sheffield - Yorkshire

http://www.aboutnottinghamshire.co.uk/

Whirlowbrook Hall was built in 1906 by SirWalter Benton-Jones, in a leafy suburb some five miles outside the city centre of Sheffield.  It is situated on the edge of the Peak District National Park on the A635, the Sheffield to Hathersage road, so the views are asbolutely stunning.
When I enquired, other visitors said it had been used as the temporary home for circuit judges, although there is  disappointingly little about its history on the web.  It is now operated by Fretwell-Downing, a family-owned business which also runs The Maynard in Grindleford, Derbyshire.

This impressive house stands in 39 acres of landscaped gardens, which incredibly are open to the public.  There is adequate car parking, and I arrived by bus which are fairly frequent from the city centre.

There is a small cafe within the Hall, but it has limited opening hours, especially during the week and when I went, on a chilly autumn day, they had run out of soup!  Also on returning mid-afternoon, the floor was covered with discarded food - something I absolutely hate!

I had gone to this place, for the first time, in order to attend on the marvellous events organised through Sheffield's excellent 'Off the Shelf' programme, and spent an enjoyable afternoon learning about fungi with the fabulous Patrick Harding.  (It's well worth travelling considerable distances to hear this enthusiastic fellow!)

However, it was the gorgeous grounds that fascintated me, and I can't wait to go back and really have a good look at such a magical place.  It must be different at every season of the year, but it's hard to imagine that it's ever more beautiful than in autumn.