Monument record MDR10195 - Gardens/grounds at Broomfield College, Morley

Gardens/grounds laid out by W M Barron in 1870-72. Includes specimen trees - 'Victorian' planting. (1) Following the purchase by Charles Schwind of land at Morley in 1870, William Barron of Elvaston fame was employed to landscape the parkland and gardens around the new hall. Following the establishment of Broomfield as a college of agriculture and horticulture, the gardens have been maintained to an excellent standard, having a mix of deciduous trees and conifers, flowering shrubs, evergreens and herbaceous perennials. Of particular interest is the national old fashioned rose collection. The walled garden, formerly the kitchen garden, was more recently used to propagate trees and shrubs, but has recently been redeveloped, with an ornate open pavilion providing the central point of a number of contrasting gardens, including a Spanish plot, an Italian garden, a knot garden and an adventure garden. A nine hole golf course is also planned which will be used for the training of greenkeepers. (2) The layout of the grounds around Broomfield Hall dates from the early 1870s. The renowned local firm of William Barron, landscapers and nurserymen of Borrowash, were responsible for the design and planting of the pleasure grounds. The area of approx. 25 acres leads from the road to the Hall and then beyond across a terrace, rose gardens and walled kitchen garden. The original planting included a shelter belt of evergreens, within which were many examples of typical Barron plants: cedars, purple beeches, monkey puzzle, red oaks etc., often underplanted with dense shrubberies of rhododendron, laurel and yew. Two main vistas were created, one of which features an elm avenue, now removed following disease. The walled garden originally grew vegetables and a wide range of fruit. Following the creation of the Derbyshire Farm Institute, much development of the grounds took place, mainly between 1954 and 1982. Further development has taken place in the 1990s, including the dramatic renewal of the Walled Garden to become an ornamental feature and the establishment of the National Collection of Old-Fashioned Roses. (3)