Apperknowle

Barbrook One

Owler Bar · 5 miles

On Ramsley Moor in the Peak District, the stone circle identified as Barbrook One stands as an archaeological feature. The embanked ring measures about thirteen metres in internal diameter and is bounded by a rubble bank roughly three metres wide. Inside the circle a single standing stone reaches approximately one metre in height, accompanied by eleven smaller stones whose heights vary between five and twenty-five centimetres. The nearest settlement recorded is Owler Bar. Barbrook One forms part of a larger cairn field that includes a second ring, Barbrook Two, a rubble-banked cairn about 200 metres north-by-northwest of the circle, and roughly eighty other cairns scattered across the moor. Most of these cairns are under six metres in diameter and are thought to be clearance cairns from a later prehistoric period, while the larger examples are likely Bronze Age funerary monuments. Local tradition records that the early saint William Hale employed the circles in attempts to convert local pagans to Christianity. The entire area is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and a further stone circle, Barbrook Three, lies two kilometres to the north.

Forge Dam Park

Stumperlowe · 5 miles

Set within the Porter Valley, the park in Fulwood forms the fourth link in Sheffield’s Grade II listed series of Porter Valley Parks. The site, once the Old Mayhouse Farm and the historic Forge Dam, was bought by the J G Graves Charitable Trust in 1938 after earlier municipal acquisition of 20 acres in 1885 for pleasure grounds and a new sewer. Designed by landscape architect William Goldring, the early layout introduced gravel walkways, flower beds and stepping stones, reflecting the 19th-century popularity of valley walks that grew from the city’s cutlery-manufacturing past, when the Porter Brook was dammed to power grinding mills. A circular route known as the Sheffield Round Walk, linking Endcliffe, Bingham, Whiteley Woods and Porter Clough, was completed around 1945, further integrating the park into the regional network. Today the roughly rectangular area occupies about 23.5 acres between Quiet Lane, Whiteley Lane and Ivy Cottage Lane, with the principal entrance on the latter. Informal roadside parking is available along Ivy Cottage Lane. Historical advertisements from 1913 mention facilities such as boating, fishing, a bowling green, swings, tearooms and motor boats, although current provisions are not detailed in the source. The park remains open to the public, forming part of a continuous green corridor that leads from Sheffield’s built-up centre into the surrounding countryside.

Devonshire Green

Devonshire Quarter · 5.6 miles

Devonshire Green is a small public open space at 53.3789°N 1.4783°W within Sheffield city centre in South Yorkshire, England. It covers an area of approximately 9000 square metres and is designated as a district park by Sheffield City Council.

Weston Park Museum

Crookesmoor · 5.6 miles

Located a mile west of Sheffield city centre, the museum sits within the grounds of Weston Park and occupies a Grade II* listed complex that is overseen by Museums Sheffield. Entry is free and the premises are step-free, providing full wheelchair access. Opening hours are listed on the venue’s official page. The institution began serving the public in 1875 when it opened in Weston House, the residence whose parkland later became the surrounding green space. An Ionic-order neoclassical wing was added in 1887, and a purpose-built extension adjoining the Mappin Art Gallery was completed in 1937 after the demolition of Weston Hall; local benefactor J. G. Graves contributed to its funding. For many years the site was known as the Sheffield City Museum and Mappin Art Gallery, housing collections of archaeology, natural history, decorative art and social history, while the Mappin Gallery displayed the bequest of John Newton Mappin and hosted temporary exhibitions. The gallery suffered a direct hit in the Sheffield Blitz of December 1940, remaining partially derelict until it was made safe and reopened in 1965. A comprehensive refurbishment began in March 2003, financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Sheffield City Council and Objective 1, and the complex reopened in October 2006 under its current name, consolidating the museum and gallery identities. Today the museum presents seven themed galleries, including displays of Bronze-Age rock-art replicas, artefacts collected by Thomas Bateman such as the Benty Grange helmet, and exhibitions on ancient Egypt, geology and contemporary Sheffield life. The Royle Gallery is dedicated to rotating shows that explore the city’s stories and creative output. An on-site weather station, operating continuously since 1882, supplies long-term climate data for the area. Practical information such as admission, accessibility and opening times can be found on the museum’s website.

Lowe Stand

Upper Hoyland · 14 miles

Lowe Stand is an 18th-century folly built for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, and likely originally intended as a hunting lodge. It is situated in the South Yorkshire town of Hoyland, 5 miles (8 km) south-east of Barnsley. Today the stand is a Grade II listed building but is in a fairly advanced state of decay. In 2008 the deeds were handed over from the council to voluntary group, the Friends of Hoyland Lowe Stand. The council has given permission to restore it according to the plan produced.

Penny Pie Park

Pogmoor · 17 miles

A former domestic-waste landfill has been reshaped into a sizeable recreational field that now serves the Pogmoor area of Barnsley. The site, owned by Barnsley Council, lies within a roughly 350-metre by 250-metre rectangle and is surrounded by the A628 gyratory, making it readily reachable from the surrounding road network. A railway line marks the northern boundary, separating the park from an additional council field opposite. The landscape is dotted with a mix of sycamore, willow and horse-chestnut trees, providing a natural fringe to the open grass. Within the park, multipurpose sports facilities and personal-training fitness stations cater to a range of activities, while the expansive green space attracts runners, dog walkers and pigeon fanciers who use the area for racing birds. The open field also functions as a landing site for hot-air balloons and air-ambulances when required. Each summer, the venue hosts the Barnsley Mini Olympics, a community-run programme of Olympic-style events. Barnsley Council operates the park and keeps it freely accessible to the public. No admission fee is mentioned, and the surrounding infrastructure, including the A628 and nearby railway, provides practical points of entry. The park’s combination of sporting provisions, natural borders and community events makes it a versatile open-air facility for local residents.