April  9,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
313 
(Barbens  IRounb  Sheffielb. 
SNUGLY  secluded  amidst  all  the  beauties  of  shrubs  and  Coni¬ 
fers,  and  removed  from  the  din  of  city  life,  yet  well  within 
reach,  being  only  a  three-mile  drive,  stands  Holly  Court, 
the  seat  of  F.  A.  Kelley,  Esq.  An  ideal  residence  amidst 
charming  surroundings,  its  approach  fills  one  with  a  desire  to 
explore  beyond  those  magnificent  shrubs  which  serve  to  screen 
the  well  arranged  ^d  finely  kept  drive  and  forecourt.  Its  owner 
represents  the  district  of  Ecclesall  upon  the  Sheffield  City 
Council,  and  is  one  of  the  most  popular  public  men  of  the  city, 
ever  ready  to  take  an  active  part  in  any  movement  calculated  to 
benefit  the  district.  He  is  just  now  interesting  himself  in  a  very 
pra^ical  way  in  connection  with  the  forthcoming  visit  of  the 
Yorkshire  Agricultural  Society  to  the  city.  That  he  is  an  enthu¬ 
siastic  horticulturist  is  evident  by  a  glance  at  the  gardens  and 
beautiful  grounds. 
of  Golden  Yew.  Very  fine  Rhododendrons  are  frequently  found 
in  our  perigrinations  through  lovely  walks,  and  we  notice  that 
the  walls  are  all  covered  with  choice  creepers,  while  here  and 
there  are  Retinospora.s,  which  attract  attention.  We  now  come 
to  a  charming 
Pergola  Walk, 
in  which  one  longs  to  linger,  and  which,  in  .summer,  must  be  an 
enchanting  spot.  From  end  to  end  it  is  luxuriantly  clothed  witli 
Ivy,  Clemati.s,  and  thimson  Rambler  Roses,  the  latter  flouri.shing 
extraordinarily  well,  growths  8ft  or  10ft  being  quite  common. 
In  a  sheltered  nook  on  our  right  is  a  magnificent  Bambusa  Metako 
in  perfect  leaf,  and  looking  extremely  well;  it  is  about  18ft  to 
20ft  acro.ss.  Here  one  finds  cosy  nooks  amidst  the  .surrounding 
beauties.  Passing  on  to  the  Bowling  Lawn  we  again  see  beau¬ 
tiful  shrubs,  and  a  border  of  Pseonies  (herbaceous  and  Tree), 
while  banks  of  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas  are  before  us ;  and  a 
grand  pyramid  of  Taxus  eleganti.ssimus,  some  12ft  high,  suggest¬ 
ing  the  fact  that  great  care  and  attention  must  have  been  paid 
A  view  from  the  lake  at  Holly  Court. 
Holly  Courf, 
as  its  name  implies,  is  remarkable  for  its  magnificent  Hollies,  and 
one  is  struck  at  the  entrance  with  some  fine  specimens,  and  either 
side  of  the  drive  is  furni.shed  with  grand  banks  of  shrubs.  Hollies 
and  Rhododendrons  being  conspicuous,  while  dwarf  walls  are  well 
clothed  with  Golden  Ivy,  and  surmounted  by  very  handsome 
lamps,  the  forecourt  being  edged  with  Box  andl  Golden  Holly 
looks  remarkably  well.  Here  one  views  the  grand  panorama  of 
the  Derbyshire  hills.  Leaving  the  forecourt  we  enter  the  pretty 
Dutch  "Garden,  where  again  Golden  Ivy  luxuriates  on  the  dwarf 
walls ;  conspicuous  are  .some  remarkably  fine  specimen  Hollies, 
probably  7ft  or  8ft  through,  and  furni.shed  to  the  ground  line. 
Ilex  Hodginsi  does  partiotilarly  well  here,  and  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  anywhere  such  grand  specimens  as  one  sees  on  every  hand 
at  Holly  Court.  They  are  not  merely  isolated  units,  but  every  one 
is  a  picture,  and  there  are  many  of  them  :  those  in  the  Dutch 
Garden  alone  are  a  distinct  treat  to  see,  and  would  be  the  envy  of 
many  an  enthusiast. 
Here  is  a  fountain  with  a  large  basin  filled  with  aciuatic 
plants,  while  the  Irish  Yews  and  Box  trees  form  a  pleasing 
feature,  the  whole  being  overlooked  by  a  handsome  summer¬ 
house  built  of  Oak.  Near  by  is  a  Rose  border  with  a  very  fine 
hedge  of  Erica  vagans,  and  there  are  lovely  specimens  and  hedges 
to  the  formation  of  the  grounds,  and  to  the  various  requirements' 
of  the  many  varieties  of  choice  plants  to  be  found  all  over  the 
place.  To  one  found  of  rural  or  rustic  scenery  the 
Ornamental  Lake 
must  be  a  perfect  dream  of  beauty.  On  its  banks  are  almost 
every  conceivable  form  of  vegetation — creepers,  and  aquatics  in 
abundance ;  Ericas  and  Roses  trail  on  the  rockeries  ;  while  on  the 
lake  itself  are  waterfowl  is  great  variety.  There  are  black  swans 
from  New  Zealand,  the  Siberian  swans  (white  with  black  neck 
and  head),  Mandarins,  Indian  tree  ducks,  whistling  duck,  Ac., 
&c.  We  reach  by  rustic  steps  to  the  boat,  while  above  is  a 
rustic  bridge,  and  waterfalls  produce  pleasant  music;  there  are 
also  bays  in  which  gold  fi.sh  disport  themselves,  and  over  one  of 
these  bays  a  Cotoneaster  extends  fully  oft,  forming  a  shelter  for 
the  fish. 
Pampas  Gra.ss  does  well  here,  and  surrounding  the  lake  many 
Rhododendrons  are  now  in  bloom.  On  a  summit  above  the  water 
is  a  quaint  little  summer-house,  from  which  antics  of  the'  bird 
life  below  can  be  watched.  Near  the  lake  is  a  very  fine  Taxus 
eleganti.ssimus  standing  about  8ft  high  and  is  12ft  through  :  it 
is  probably  the  finest  in  the  country.  Here  again  is  a  waterfall 
and  another  rustic  bridge,  and  below  is  the  wood  in  which  are 
thousands  of  Daffodils,  forming  another  charming  .sight. 
