Why should I visit the Sheffield Botanical and Winter Gardens?

Sheffield is very green. It is obviously renowned for manufacturing steel, but these days you’d be surprised by the amount of green space in the city. So it’s no wonder that The Guardian once heralded Sheffield as the 6th greenest city in the UK.

In fact, the 13 city parks, 20 district parks and 50 local parks all contribute to the 4.5 million trees spread across the city.

However, if you’re looking something more exotic than trees, then a trip to the Botanical Gardens is highly recommended.

The Botanical Gardens

In 1833, a petition signed by 85 locals who were concerned about the lack of open public spaces as well as recreational and self-education facilities triggered the story of the Botanical Gardens.

Thomas Dunn, The Master Cutler, called a meeting in June 1833 to address the issue. The people decided to create a Botanical Garden.

18 acres of south-facing farmland, owned by the snuff making Wilson family, was purchased in 1834 for £7,500. The money was raised through shares.

A competition to design the gardens was held and Robert Marnock of Bretton Hall was appointed as head designer and curator. The runner-up, Benjamin Broomhead Taylor was appointed as architect.

The first visitors arrived on 29th June 1836 and over 12,000 visitors attended the first 5 days of opening.

You can find more information, including opening hours, by clicking here

Winter Garden

Another wonderful day out for plant lovers is the Winter Garden. This is one of the largest temperate glasshouses in the UK; in fact it is the largest urban glasshouse in the whole of Europe, boasting a length of 70m and a height of 22m.

Its construction includes the use of giant arches made from larch wood. The wood has been sourced from sustainable forests and needs no preservatives or coatings. Meanwhile, the environment is controlled by an intelligent building management system that learns how to maintain optimal conditions season after season.

Located right in the heart of the city, Winter Garden is home to over 2500 plants from around the world.

You can find further information, including opening times by clicking here

COVID-19

For the latest information on how to follow the rules when out and about in the UK, you can take a look at our article or check out the British Government’s Coronavirus FAQs.

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