Finding Inspiration in Melbourne – A Sculpture Trail, Beautiful Gardens and the Head Gardener
Some places leave a lasting impression long after you’ve driven home, and Melbourne in South Derbyshire is certainly one of them.
Last Thursday evening, I had the privilege of attending the opening and unveiling of the winning sculpture at the Melbourne Sculpture Trail, set within the magnificent gardens of Melbourne Hall. Melbourne Hall – Website .
Ronald Pope
Ronald Pope was the inspiration behind the trail, the theme Humanity, Nature and Creativity was found in his own pieces, Ronald was a local sculptor who worked with different materials to create his work. Ronald Pope (1920-1997) was a sculptor and artist of the modernist school. While his work shows the influence of his contemporaries at the Slade School of Fine Art, London in the mid 1940s, it is nonetheless unmistakably ‘Pope’, his own individual style and interpretative form. Ronald had lived and worked in the South Derbyshire area so this was a fitting tribute to his work.
It was one of those events where you arrive expecting to enjoy yourself, but leave feeling completely inspired. Link to the Secret Sculpture Garden
The Sculptures
The sculptures were simply breathtaking created by regional sculptors. Every piece encouraged me to stop, look a little longer and appreciate the imagination and craftsmanship behind it. I found myself wandering around the trail several times, noticing different details with each walk, and what is wonderful is that they are all within the amazing gardens at Melbourne Hall.
One of the highlights was listening to Sharon from Creative Melbourne speak so passionately about the trail. Her pride in what has been created was infectious and reminded me just how important local organisations and volunteers are in bringing events like this to life. Watching Lady Kerr of Melbourne Hall unveil the winning sculpture was a wonderful moment and a fitting celebration of the artists’ incredible work, what struck me most that when the unveiling got tangled around the base Lady Kerr was the one to unravel this, a very modern lady indeed.
Link to Creative Gallery Melbourne Website
There Can Only Be One Winner …
All the sculptures are winners but of course there has to be one winner overall- Shared Lines by Stevie Davies is breathtaking, I imagine every time you look at the sculpture it looks different, I was lucky enough to see the sun shining through the glass, it was just beautiful.
Stevie Davies Sculpture – Winner of the Secret Garden Sculpture 2026
The Imp in Me and the The Magnificent Birdcage
I decided the imp that I am that whilst being at Melbourne Hall it would be rude not to take a cheeky look in the gardens, how could I not? I had watched a video of the head gardener talking about the famous Bird Cage and I so hoped to see it, and there it was in front of me, and oh my goodness it is the such a beautiful feature of the gardens, I was blown away by it’s beauty. In case you are wondering what the birdcage is read the description shamelessly copied from Melbourne Halls Website…
“A major feature of the garden is the wrought iron arbour known as the ‘Birdcage’ which was designed and constructed by the celebrated ironsmith Robert Bakewell between 1706-1708 and finally completed in 1711 for £120.”
Head Gardener – Meets Teresa from Swadlincote
Before leaving, I spotted the Head Gardener and couldn’t resist telling him how much I’ve enjoyed his Facebook videos. If you haven’t watched them yet, they’re well worth a look. His voice is wonderfully calming, and his knowledge of the gardens is simply fascinating.
Having seen one of his videos about the famous Birdcage, I was excited to find it. Even so, nothing prepared me for seeing it in person, it is absolutely stunning. I stood there for quite some time simply taking it all in, feeling incredibly lucky that somewhere so beautiful is right here in South Derbyshire.
If the head gardener should read my little blog – thankyou for sharing your knowledge and mostly thankyou for sharing that you have help putting your content together, making me feel slightly reassured that maybe someone out there may take me under their wing and help me create content better!
Head Gardener Talk on the Bird Cage
Melbourne Hall Backdrop
As I explored the gardens, I couldn’t help but admire the reflections dancing across the water with the hall behind it, there was a swan elegantly floating along like it owned the pool. Although my photographs don’t quite capture its full beauty, I tried to put into practice some great advice from one of my colleagues (Lyndsay) by thinking more about my foregrounds and backgrounds. Every visit is another chance to learn, and I’m enjoying learning along the way, although I’m definitely not there yet, here is a slightly dark moody image with Melbourne Hall in the background, you will need your best glasses to spot it….more practice definitely needed.
The Secret Sculpture Garden at Melbourne Hall – Details
The Secret Garden features contemporary sculptures regional sculptures to complement Melbourne Halls Collection of antique sculptures
The Garden is open from 1pm – 5pm every afternoon in August with the exception of the 1st three Mondays. Your really should visit! Click below to get a much better explanation than I can give.
Listen to the Expert Explaining the Trail
I will be back …..( Again and Again)
Moments like these remind me why I feel so honored to be the Manager of the Visitor Information Centre, every day I learn something new, the pride of our residents, our villages – we have a lot to be proud of. I have only been resident for 4 weeks at the visitor centre but I have learnt more about this area in those four weeks than I have living here all my life.
As I drove home, I was already making plans to return, and return I did.
No Lazy Sunday for Me
On Sunday morning, my husband, two wonderful friends and I parked in Church Square, laced up our running shoes and set off to explore Melbourne once again—this time on foot. Running through the village gave us a completely different perspective and reminded us just how picturesque every corner really is. What ever you chose to do in Melbourne it s a beautiful place to be full of alleys, character and charm. I really recommend walking, running, ambling around Melbourne and the outer areas of Kings Newton, there are lots of public footpaths and when you have finished lots of lovely places to rest, eat and drink. After our run, we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Meaks, one of the best bacon sandwiches my husband said. Naughtily at a little before noon we found ourselves in The Boot at Melbourne where we were met by a friendly face to be served by and a lovely outside area where locals love to chat and pass the time of day, even better The Boot is dog friendly so I was in my heaven stroking two lovely dogs.
The Boot Melbourne – Link to Website.
It was the perfect way to round off a Sunday.
To be continued……..
The funny thing is, even after two visits in the space of a few days, I still feel as though I’ve only scratched the surface. There is so much more to discover, and I’m already planning another visit with the team from the Visitor Centre so we can capture even more of Melbourne’s history, beauty, businesses and hidden gems to share with you… watch this space..
Until next time, Melbourne… thank you for reminding me just how lucky we are to call South Derbyshire home.
