The Turret House
Three storeys from about 1574 with original plaster ceilings and a rooftop over Sheffield, the only building of the Manor to survive complete with its roof.
On a hill south-east of Sheffield, hemmed in by an ordinary housing estate, stand the walls that watched Mary, Queen of Scots grow old in captivity. The 4th Earl of Shrewsbury built this hunting lodge around 1516 in the middle of his deer park; half a century later the 6th Earl and his wife Bess of Hardwick kept Mary here and at Sheffield Castle for the better part of fourteen years, shuttling her between the two. The castle has all but vanished. Forty years before Mary, in 1530, Cardinal Wolsey was lodged here for over a fortnight on his way south to stand trial, fell ill, and died at Leicester a few days after leaving. Little of the house itself is left: sections of the kitchens and a long gallery wall, most of it pulled down in the early 1700s (1706-8). The real prize is the Turret House, locally Queen Mary's Tower, a three-storey building of about 1574 that kept its roof and is the only building of the Manor to survive complete. Upstairs are moulded plaster ceilings from the sixteenth century, a genuine surprise for anyone who came expecting rubble, and above them a rooftop platform once used to watch the hunt, now offering a view over the city. The climb is by a tight stone spiral stair, so it is not for anyone unsteady on their feet, and certainly not for pushchairs. Entry to the site, the tower and the Tudor-style gardens is free, but the place does not open every day: Tuesday to Friday during Sheffield school holidays and on selected Sundays, 10:00 to 16:00. On Sundays guided tours leave at 10:30 and 13:30 and last about an hour, £10 per adult with children free, booked online in advance and non-refundable. The Rhubarb Shed Cafe, at the Manor Oaks site a few steps along Manor Lane, opens Wednesday to Sunday 09:00 to 15:00; the gardens hold an apothecary garden of Tudor herbs, a lavender labyrinth and pictorial meadows that peak between June and September. Be honest with yourself: this is not Stonehenge or Edinburgh Castle. It is a modest ruin in a suburb, and an hour to ninety minutes covers it. Come if Mary's story interests you or you want a quiet outing with children away from the shops; with little ones, pick a school-holiday day when the craft workshops and the £5 children's trail run. Above all check the opening dates before setting out, because without the tower this is just walls in a field. Getting there: the official advice is the Blue tram to Spring Lane/City Road then about a mile (twenty minutes) through Manor Fields Park; alternatively the Blue or Purple tram to Manor Top and roughly fifteen minutes downhill along Manor Lane, or drive and use the free car park by the Discovery Centre.
Three storeys from about 1574 with original plaster ceilings and a rooftop over Sheffield, the only building of the Manor to survive complete with its roof.
Small displays in the tower tell how Mary, Queen of Scots spent her long years between this house and the vanished Sheffield Castle.
An apothecary garden, a lavender labyrinth and meadows at their best June to September, with a cafe, a sandpit and outdoor games for children.
197 Manor Lane, Sheffield S2 1UJ
The Peak District, without hesitation. Manor Lodge is a modest ruin for people with several days in the city or a particular interest in Mary, Queen of Scots, and it only opens in school holidays and on selected Sundays. If your visit happens to fall on an open day and you are staying nearby, it makes a pleasant morning, nothing more.
The grounds and gardens yes, with a sandpit, outdoor games and a £5 children's trail in the school holidays. The tower itself is climbed by a narrow stone spiral stair no pushchair will manage, and the ground around the ruins is uneven because the archaeology lies just beneath it.