Lovely secluded spot with beautiful sculpture
5
5
Date of visit: September 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Excellent
This spot felt a bit like a secret garden! It was tucked away in a quiet spot but right in the centre of Sheffield, just by the town hall. I found myself finding a beautiful, quiet spot in what was a busy area. The garden is split across two levels which both had seating. There were a couple of steps to get from one section to the other but you could also use their main gates and the street to pass between the two without using the steps. One section had a beautiful sculpture which had been erected in March in 2023 to memorialise what the residents of Sheffield went through in the Covid pandemic. It was based on a willow tree and was really lovely to look at and also lovely to read the dedication alongside it. The other section had more plants in it and had some large animal statues which were really adorable. Both areas provided a lovely spot to sit and stop. There was a decent amount of seating in both areas.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
The garden is split across two levels with a couple of steps in the middle to go between the two. Both sections have their own entrance gate which is connected via the street. These entrances provide step-free access to both parts of the garden. The steps between the two areas have a grab rail on one side. The section with the willow tree sculpture has two ramps that go from the entrance gate, around either side of the sculpture, up to the seating and sculpture itself. Both of the ramps have grab rails on either side of them. The sculpture has a stone slab laid into the floor in front of it explaining the meaning behind the sculpture. But there weren't any alternative formats available. There are multiple wooden benches available in both sections of the garden. The paving in both areas is large stone tiles. The section with the animals seemed older, so some of the stone slabs had some larger gaps between them. For the most part the flooring was fairly well laid and smooth.
Accessible facilities: Step-free access to most areas, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
200 metres from the garden is the City Hall tram stop. From this stop, you can access trams on the blue and yellow services. The yellow services travel between Middlewood and Meadowhall. The blue services travel between Malin Bridge and Halfway. 130 metres away is a bus stop called Leopold Street/Orchard Lane and the SC1 stops at this stop. There are not many options for parking or drop off near to this spot as a lot of the area is pedestrianised.
Accessible Toilets
The closest accessible toilet was at the town hall which was 240 metres from the garden.
Staff
This garden had no staff.
