This shrub is on the west side of the Viburnum Walk.

Mr Hammond planted a specimen of Sambucus nigra f. laciniata near here in 1929 which he purchased from W Clibran & Sons, Oldfield Nursery, Altringham Cheshire. This specimen is thought to be too young to be the original plant.

Sambucus nigra is a common feature of hedgerows and scrubland in Britain, northern Europe and northern Turkey. Common names include: elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry.

The cultivar Sambucus nigra f. laciniata (cut-leaved elder) has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Both the flowers and the berries have a long tradition of culinary use, primarily for cordial and wine. Except for the flowers and ripe berries all parts of the plant are poisonous to mammals.

The Latin nigra means “black”, and refers to the deeply dark colour of the berries. The The name “elder” is not believed to come from the word “old”, but from the Anglo Saxon æld, meaning fire. The hollow stems of the branches were used as bellows to blow air into a fire.