Bramcote - Bramcote Hills Park - Part 02
w/e 25 May 2008
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

Northern End

In Part 1 we saw the site of Dairy Cottage and as we approach the northern end of the Walled Garden the footings of Gardener's Cottage are also visible. One of the original park buildings - it was shown on the 1880 map - it was later used by Broxtowe Borough Council's Leisure Services Division. The path through the middle of the walled Garden continues beyond the arch and then turns to follow a way-marked route up the hill into the wooded area. The grassy bank between the garden and the trees is being managed as part of the "Blue Butterfly Scheme" which promotes the Sunken PlaqueSunken Plaquecreation and restoration of wildflower meadows. It contains many varieties of wildflowers to encourage not only butterflies but a wealth of other wildlife too.

This side of the arch two Field Maple trees have been planted and plaques sunk into the turf show that they commemorate the life of the Queen Mother 1900-2002 (left) and Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II on June 3rd 2002 (right) respectively.
The Ice House

From about half way along the Walled Garden another path also leads up into the wood and this one passes the Ice House. Before the days of refrigerators and freezers, ice houses were used for the storage of food and this one at Bramcote, that was built prior to 1880 from locally sourced stone and brick, has recently been restored to reveal its unique features which are detailed on the adjacent information board.
Woodland Path

It was a third path though that we followed through the woodland around the foot of the hill. Some planting has taken place in the wood but much of it is natural woodland with many broad-leaved trees. Management of the wood is done in conjunction with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.
Bramcote Hills House

Bramcote Hills House Information BoardBramcote Hills House PhotoThe path we followed leads to a clearing where Bramcote Hills House had stood from when it was built in 1805 until 1966. The footprint of the building has been restored and another information board, sadly defaced (left), describes the history of the house and its owners. From the vandalised board I was able to salvage this photo (right) of a view of the house in the early 1940s.
Trim Trail

Bramcote Hills House overlooked from its slightly elevated position the lower reaches of the park which is more open in appearance. A recent addition around this lower level is the Trim Trail, a series of wooden obstacles and equipment that enable people, in conjunction with a "Getting Active" leaflet available from the Council, to exercise and improve their fitness. The strategically placed park bench looked more inviting to me though!
Open Parkland

The open parkland includes a number of significant mature trees including several species of oak plus sweet chestnuts, common beeches, walnuts and at least one cedar of Lebanon (that you may have spotted overlooking the Bramcote Hills House site). In recognition of the high standards of maintenance and community involvement the park received its first Green Flag award in 2006, an achievement it has since repeated.

Back to Part 01

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